Author: News

‘Hard Work Pays Off’: Irad Ortiz Jr. Bags Five Wins Thursday At Saratoga

Irad Ortiz, Jr. enjoyed a tremendous day at the races, winning with 5-of-8 mounts on Thursday's 10-race card at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

The veteran jockey, a two-time leading rider at Saratoga [2015, 2018], moved into a tie for second position in the jockey standings with his brother, Jose Ortiz, each with 10 wins, just one short of Joel Rosario.

“When you have the right horses, they make you look good,” said Ortiz, Jr. “Days like this are great. To win five races in one day at any track is so special. You work so hard in this business and on days like this all that hard work pays off.”

Ortiz, Jr. kicked off the flat racing portion of Thursday's program by guiding Thomas Shelby [No. 6, $6.50] to a claiming score for owner-trainer Wesley Ward. Two races later in Race 4, he captured the NYSSS Statue of Liberty for the second straight year by piloting Fresco [No. 1, $3] to a memorable maiden win for leading trainer Christophe Clement.

The veteran rider followed up in Race 5 with a prominent score aboard Irish Front [No. 5, $9.50], a Waterford Stable homebred son of Summer Front trained by Todd Pletcher. In Race 7, he guided Bertranda [No. 10, $6.70] to an in-hand allowance optional-claiming event for trainer Mertkan Kantarmaci.

Ortiz, Jr. added his fifth win on the card in Race 9 when Admiral Lynch [No. 3, $16.80] sprinted to convincing score over 8-5 mutuel favorite Honest Mischief.

On July 31, 2019, Ortiz, Jr. also won five races in one card at Saratoga, going 5-for-7 on the day of his NYSSS Statue of Liberty score aboard Kid Is Frosty.

Hall of Famer Ramon Dominguez twice won six races on a Saratoga card in 2012 and Hall of Famer John Velazquez also notched six in one card at the Spa in 2001.

Live racing resumes Friday at Saratoga with a 10-race card highlighted by the Grade 3, $100,000 Quick Call for sophomores going 5 ½ furlongs on the Mellon turf course in Race 9 at 5:46 p.m. Eastern. First post is 1:10 p.m.

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The Friday Show Presented By Woodbine: Fixing The Easy Things

Racing has major challenges to deal with: competition from sports betting and casinos, distribution of wagering revenue, high takeout, medication, integrity and a growing perception problem with the general public about safety and welfare of the horses. That's why The Jockey Club Round Table Conference on Matters Pertaining To Racing is the longest-running show in the game.

But there are some things that aren't that complicated and could be fixed quickly and easily. If only the people in charge really wanted to make a difference.

In this edition of the Friday Show, Ray Paulick and Natalie Voss bring up a few of those issues that almost everyone in racing should agree on: better communications, greater access to information, simple measures to enhance integrity.

We'll leave the big stuff to the poobahs and focus on getting some of the simple things fixed.

Watch The Friday Show below and let us know some of the issues in racing you believe can be fixed easily.

The post The Friday Show Presented By Woodbine: Fixing The Easy Things appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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The Beat Goes On: Shepperton Win Gives Pink Lloyd 21st Stakes Triumph

The incomparable Pink Lloyd deployed his usual tactics, powering past the competition in the stretch to add more hardware to his collection as he won the 45th edition of the $100,000 Shepperton Stakes on Thursday at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario.

Winning his third Shepperton title, Pink Lloyd ties Paso Doble with the most wins in the main track stakes event, which has been run at a distance of 6 1/2 furlongs for all but two editions.

The Robert Tiller trainee also won this race in 2017 and 2019, and finished third in 2018. Paso Doble took the 2011, 2013 and 2014 events.

Carrying a field height weight of 128 pounds, Canada's reigning three-time Champion Male Sprinter stalked the leaders along the rail before jockey Rafael Hernandez maneuvered him outside in the stretch and took off. 

Stopping the clocked in 1:16.44 nearly two lengths in front, Pink Lloyd paid $2.60 to win as the overwhelming 1-9 favorite in the six-horse field. There was no place or show wagering.

Early trailer Silent Jimmie chased the champion home and got up for second just ahead of the front-runners, Dun Drum and Not So Quiet, who had set fractions of :23.25 and :45.88. Magical Man and Souper Success completed the order of finish.

“He's got the heart and desire to be probably the best sprinter in Canada the last 50 years,” said Tiller, who has won the Shepperton a record six times for a trainer. “He is amazing. He was in trouble all the way. We got the box trip with the one-hole, and it worked out well. Rafii waited and waited.” 

“We're very proud of him and I love him dearly,” said the Hall of Fame horseman. 

Bred by John Carey and owned by Entourage Stable, the 8-year-old Ontario-bred son of Old Forester now boasts 24 career wins from 29 starts and is approaching the $2 million mark in career earnings.

A 21-time stakes winner, Pink Lloyd previously put together an 11-race win streak in stakes action, beginning at the start of his 2017 Horse of the Year campaign. Pink Lloyd's current streak is now at eight after going six-for-six in 2019 and winning a record fourth Grade 3 Jacques Cartier Stakes in his season's debut on June 25. 

“Last time, he gave me a little hard time – he had to work hard to get there – but after the race, I told Bob, 'Now he's ready 100 per cent,'” said Hernandez. “He showed up today. He just broke out of the gate, sat behind good and he just did the best thing he knows how to do… he just switched the lead in the stretch and 'let's go.'

“He knows how to do it, he knows how to win.”

And so does Hernandez, who is the leading rider at the 2020 Woodbine meet and won half of Thursday's eight races.

Live Thoroughbred racing continues, without spectators, on Friday at Woodbine Racetrack. Post time for the first of eight races is set for 1 p.m.

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