Ortiz Jr. Wins Two Races in Return Following Suspension

In his first day back after a 30-day suspension for careless riding, jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. rode two winners on the 10-race program at Gulfstream Park Jan. 6.

Ortiz, 29, was named in six races and finished off the board with his first mount, 2-1 favorite Macedonian , in race 2. The Puerto Rico native registered back-to-back wins with Time to Two Step  ($8) in race 3 and 4-5 favorite Miss You Ella  ($3.60) in race 4.

"It feels great. It's been a long time," Ortiz said. "Thank God we're back. I'm just happy to be back riding, honestly."

Ortiz had not ridden since notching three victories on the Dec. 5 Clasico Internacional del Caribe program at Camarero Racetrack in Puerto Rico. 

The Championship Meet's three-time defending champion was sanctioned last month by New York stewards for his ride on Gran Casique  in the eighth race Dec. 3 at Aqueduct Racetrack. Angled in early by Ortiz, Gran Casique impeded another, causing apprentice jockey Omar Hernandez Moreno to be unseated. Hernandez Moreno and his mount escaped injury.

"It was a mistake. I'm human. Everybody makes mistakes. Nobody's perfect," Ortiz said. "I made a mistake and I did my suspension. The stewards did their job, they gave me my suspension, and I paid for it, so that's it."

Only Hall of Famer Javier Castellano, who did it a record five times between 2011-12 and 2015-16, has won as many as four consecutive Championship Meet titles. Ortiz rode a record 140 winners at Gulfstream in 2020-21, breaking Luis Saez's mark of 137 with his victory aboard Known Agenda   in the Curlin Florida Derby Presented by Hill 'n' Dale Farms at Xalapa (G1).

Ortiz has won the past three Eclipse Awards as North America's champion jockey. He led all riders with 336 wins in 2021 and ranked second with 1,443 starts and $29,274,435 in purse earnings. He also won a personal best 36 graded stakes, 10 of them grade 1s, including the $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational (G1T) aboard Colonel Liam .

Following the Clasico del Caribe, Ortiz remained in Puerto Rico before returning to South Florida to breeze horses, primarily for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher at Palm Beach Downs. He is named in nine of 10 races Friday and 10 of 11 Saturday, including Value Proposition  in the $100,000 Tropical Turf Stakes (G3T).

"I spent time with my family and working," Ortiz said. "I stayed one week in Puerto Rico and then I came back here and started working to get ready to come back."

Saez leads the Championship Meet with 42 wins. Paco Lopez is second with 25 wins and Tyler Gaffalione third at 23.