Ortiz Jr. Earns Bill Shoemaker Award

Irad Ortiz Jr., who won two races and finished in the top four in five other races from 13 mounts, won the 16th Bill Shoemaker Award given to the most outstanding jockey of the World Championships hosted by Churchill Downs.

The Shoemaker Award is based on a 10-4-2-1 scoring system on first- through fourth-place finishes in each of the 14 Breeders' Cup World Championship races.

Ortiz collected 35 points to edge Joel Rosario (32) and Javier Castellano (30).

Ortiz's victories came aboard Newspaperofrecord in Friday's Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1T) and Shamrock Rose in Saturday's Filly & Mare Sprint (G1). He finished second three times with Uncle Benny (Juvenile Turf), World of Trouble (Turf Sprint, G1T) and Gunnevera (Classic, G1). He also had one third-place finish with Analyze It (Mile, G1T) and a fourth with Firenze Fire (Dirt Mile, G1).

Rosario rode three winners headed by Accelerate  in the Classic and 2-year-old winners Game Winner in the Sentient Jet Juvenile (G1) and with Jaywalk in the Tito's Handmade Vodka Juvenile Fillies (G1), both on Friday. He also had a third-place finish in the Turf Sprint on Disco Partner.

Two other riders won two races: Castellano with Bulletin (Juvenile Turf Sprint) and City of Light  (Dirt Mile), and Frankie Dettori with Enable (Longines Turf, G1T) and Expert Eye (Mile).

Bill Shoemaker Award winners:

2003: Alex Solis

2004: John Velazquez

2005: Garrett Gomez

2006: Frankie Dettori

2007: Garrett Gomez

2008: Garrett Gomez

2009: Julien Leparoux

2010: Garrett Gomez

2011: John Velazquez

2012: Mike Smith

2013: Mike Smith

2014: John Velazquez

2015: Ryan Moore

2016: Mike Smith

2017: Javier Castellano

2018: Irad Ortiz Jr.