Reigning champion jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. was placed on a flat board and transported to a hospital via ambulance following a spill in Thursday's fifth race at Belmont Park, according to NYRA analyst and former champion jockey Richard Migliore.
Ortiz's mount, Equal Pay, stumbled in the stretch and unseated the rider in the path of oncoming horses.
On the America's Day At The Races broadcast, Migliore said that after the race, both Jose Ortiz and Junior Alvarado “ran back up above the eighth pole to check on his condition and when (Jose) came back he said was he was moving everything, he's talking, did have some cuts and contusions because he was clipped by one of the trailing horses.… his brother seemed relieved that he was talking and moving everything. It's always a huge concern when a rider goes down, particularly when they are in the path of oncoming horses.”
NYRA's public relations man Keith McCalmont Tweeted that Ortiz is “awake and alert, moving all extremities, and will be transported to local hospital for further evaluation.”
Ortiz is named to ride in nine races on Friday and in all 13 races on Saturday's Belmont Stakes card, including Known Agenda for Todd Pletcher in the Belmont.
This story will be updated when more information is available.
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