Jose Ortiz

After Jack Christopher (Munnings) romped in the GI Champagne S. at Belmont Park last year, his connections were optimistic that the horse had the talent to get them to the winner's circle at Churchill Downs on the first Saturday in May. That happened, just not the way anyone had planned. Not ready for the GI Kentucky Derby after seven-month layoff, Jack Christopher ran instead in the GII Pat Day Mile S., which he won by 3 3/4 lengths. While the victory was somewhat of a consolation prize, it set the...

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL--The three winners of Florida's four previous GI Kentucky Derby prep races meet Saturday as they make their final starts ahead of the First Saturday in May in Gulfstream's GI Curlin Florida Derby. Classic Causeway (Giant's Causeway) ruled the Tampa Bay Downs preps, scoring decisive victories in both the GIII Sam F. Davis S. Feb. 12 and the GII Tampa Bay Derby Mar. 12. He hit the board in all three of his juvenile races, starting with a dominant debut at Saratoga Sept. 4. Finishing third after setting...

Abaan (Will Take Charge) looks to build upon his recent success with a bid in the GII Mac Diarmida S. over 1 3/8 miles on the turf at Gulfstream Park Saturday. The 5-year-old gelding, trained by Todd Pletcher, was last seen a clear winner over fellow Mac Diarmida entry Temple (Temple City) in the GIII W. L. McKnight S. Jan. 29. He also previously won the H. Allen Jerkens S. over this course in December. Temple, breaking from post eight under Jose Ortiz, could be right there with a good...

When last seen at the races as the 17-10 favorite in the GI Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff in early November, Letruska (Super Saver) had absolutely nothing go her way, as she attended a suicidal pace and unsurprisingly folded, beating just one rival home. Having since been rewarded with the Eclipse Award for her total body of work in 2021, the St. George homebred returned to action in Saturday's GIII Royal Delta S. and made very light work of five grossly overmatched rivals. Kicked straight into the lead by Jose Ortiz,...

Leading jockey Jose Ortiz rode four races Friday on the first of a two-day stint at King Abdulaziz Racetrack in the Saudi capital of Riyadh, and was able to boot home the winner of one of the program's feature races, guiding the U.S.-bred 6-year-old mare Avalina (Tale of Ekati) to a 3 3/4-length success in the $186,667 Prince Sultan Ben A/Aziz Cup over the metric 10 furlongs. Bred in Kentucky by Charles Fipke, Avalina won three of her first four career starts for owner John O'Hara and trainer Danny Gargan,...

Chad Brown won his seventh consecutive New York Racing Association, Inc. year-end training title with 140 wins while Jose Ortiz compiled his third riding crown with 185 victories as racing in 2021 was capped with the conclusion of the card on Dec. 31. Klaravich Stables retained the title as top owner, racking up 55 wins, seven more than the next-closest competitor, Michael Dubb, to finish as the leading owner for the third straight year at NYRA tracks, which include Belmont Park, Saratoga Race Course and Aqueduct Racetrack. Brown compiled a...

Every week, the TDN publishes a roundup of key official rulings from the primary tracks within the four major racing jurisdictions of California, New York, Florida and Kentucky. Here's a primer on how each of these jurisdictions adjudicates different offenses, what they make public and where. There are two important notes. One is that Florida is expected to begin a new system, whereby a panel of stewards--one from the state and two association stewards--will hear medication and riding offenses (more on this in the primer). There is currently no information...

Regal Glory (Animal Kingdom), purchased by Peter Brant's White Birch Farm for $925,000 at this year's Keeneland January sale, went wire-to-wire to earn her first Grade I victory and give trainer Chad Brown and jockey Jose Ortiz their second graded winner on the closing-day card at Del Mar in the GI Matriarch S. Sunday. Sent off the 8-5 second choice, the 5-year-old chestnut mare rushed up from her outside post to grab the lead into the first turn. She was unchallenged and running freely through fractions of :24.06 and :48.50,...

Verbal replicated his impressive debut victory when he came flying late to win the GIII Cecil B. DeMille S. at Del Mar Sunday. The bay colt was unhurried from his outside post and was well back as longshot pacesetters Groovy Huey (Dad Caps) and Get Back Goldie (Goldencents) ran away from the field through fractions of :22.04 and :46.10. Get Back Goldie took over entering the far turn, but the field was quickly closing in on the pacesetters. Verbal made rapid progress while four wide into the stretch and he...

In the 1997 Breeders' Cup not far away at old Hollywood Park, trainer Christophe Clement made a favorable impression with his first-ever starter at the championships, sending out Allen Paulson's Flag Down (Deputy Minister) to a sound third-place effort behind Chief Bearhart (Chief's Crown) in the GI Breeders' Cup Turf. Thirty-nine starters had represented the stable in the 22 years since, each walked back to the barn a defeated animal. You couldn't have faulted the Frenchman if he'd begun to feel a bit like the late Bobby Frankel, who saddled...

Sunday's running of the Bertram F. Bongard S. for New York-breds at Belmont ended in tragedy as Happy Happy B (Honor Code) broke down during the race and had to be euthanized. The 2-year-old suffered a catastrophic injury to his right front leg. Breaking down about 70 yards before the wire, Happy Happy B threw rider Jose Ortiz, who was sent to North Shore Hospital to have his left leg evaluated. Ortiz's agent Jim Ricco Jr. reported Sunday evening the rider was fine and was not expected to miss any...

2nd-Saratoga, $100,000, Msw, 8-22, 2yo, f, 1 1/16mT, 1:49.45, yl, 1 1/2 lengths. FORTINENO (IRE) (f, 2, Frankel {GB}--Rubina {Ire} {SP-Ire}, by Invincible Spirit {Ire}), backed to 6-5 favoritism for this debut despite a modest-looking worktab, traveled in a clear fifth as Seduce (Into Mischief) dictated terms through pokey fractions of :26.06 and :51.81 over boggy ground. Picking up a bit three wide nearing the lane, the $400,000 Keeneland September buy found her best stride passing the eighth pole and wore down the pacesetter in the final sixteenth to score...