Reigning Champion Jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. Secures 3,000th Career Victory

Irad Ortiz, Jr., winner of the last three Eclipse Awards for Outstanding Jockey, captured his 3,000th career win in Thursday's fifth race aboard Saratoga Kisses at Belmont Park.

Co-owned by trainer Rudy Rodriguez with Parkland Thoroughbreds, Saratoga Kisses was in front at the half-mile call of the six-furlong maiden claiming sprint for New York-bred juvenile fillies and widened her margin impressively en route to an 8 1/4-length score.

“It's very exciting,” said Ortiz, Jr., who is currently 15th on the all-time earnings list, amassing more than $220 million in purses in a career that started in 2011. “I have to thank all the owners and connections and trainers who have supported me from Day One. Without them, none of this would be possible.”

According to records provided by Equibase, the 3,000 victories incudes 92 wins from the 29-year-old rider's homeland of Puerto Rico.

Ortiz, Jr. has enjoyed tremendous success on the NYRA circuit, winning the year-end title on three occasions [2014, 2015 and 2017].

His individual NYRA meet success includes winning the Angel Cordero, Jr. Riding Title as top Saratoga jockey three times [2015, 2018 and 2020]; as well as leading the way at the Belmont spring/summer meet [2014, 2018, 2020]; the Belmont fall meet [2014-2018]; the Aqueduct fall meet [2015, 2019], the Aqueduct spring meet [2017, 2018] and the former Aqueduct inner track title [2012-13, 2013-14, 2017].

“I'm very competitive,” Ortiz, Jr. said. “I love what I do. I come here and [try] to ride every race, every single day because that's what I love.”

Since starting his career in 2011, Ortiz, Jr. has never won less than 150 races in a year and is on pace to crack the 300-win mark for the seventh consecutive campaign in 2021. He has topped all North American jockeys in both wins and earnings in every year since 2017.

Among his most famous victories over Big Sandy was aboard Creator when securing a dramatic nose score in the 2016 Belmont Stakes for his lone win in a Triple Crown race.

The veteran rider has flaunted his talent at racetracks across the continent at the highest level posting 203 career graded stakes wins, including 60 Grade 1 victories. Ortiz, Jr. boasts 11 Breeders' Cup wins, including a score in the 2019 Grade 1 Classic aboard Vino Rosso at Santa Anita Park.

Ortiz, Jr. has made an impact beyond just his success on the track. He also has been active in assisting the backstretch community in New York, especially during the last two years as the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated the need for additional support and supplies.

In July, he was honored by the New York Race Track Chaplaincy for his generous and continued devotion to the backstretch community at its “Champions Talk” fundraiser, joining a select list of honorees who in the past have included the likes of Hall of Fame rider Edgar Prado, owner Michael Dubb and philanthropists and Saratoga icons Marylou Whitney and John Hendrickson.

“He's just a heck of a guy,” said Humberto Chavez, who heads the New York division of the Race Track Chaplaincy of America. “He's always looking to make sure that the people who take care of the horses he rides are also being taken care of as well. He really bonds with them.”

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Hall Of Fame Trainer Mark Casse Approaching 3,000-Win Milestone

Trainer Mark Casse's next chance to notch career win No. 3,000 is scheduled to come Thursday at Gulfstream Park West in Miami Gardens, Fla.

Following the cancellation of Sunday's program at Woodbine, where he had seven horses entered, Casse's milestone win could be reached with Live Oak Plantation's Souper Watson in Thursday's Race 3 at Gulfstream Park West. The 3-year-old Ghostzapper gelding is scheduled to make his first start since April 25 in the 7 ½-furlong maiden special weight race on turf.

Casse, who was elected to the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame this year, also has entered What a Beaut in Thursday's Race 6, a 7 ½-furlong turf allowance for Florida-bred fillies and mares, at Gulfstream Park West. However, his second shot at No. 3000 – should Souper Watson come up short in Race 3 – is likely to come in Churchill Downs' Race 5, which has a scheduled post time a few minutes earlier than Race 6 at Gulfstream Park West, according to Equibase.

Gary Barber's What a Beaut, a 4-year-old daughter of Beau Choix, finished second in a Nov. 2 optional claiming allowance at Gulfstream Park West n her first start since May.

Casse has an additional entry at Churchill and two entries at Woodbine following Gulfstream Park West's Race 6 on Thursday.

A native of Indiana, Casse took out his trainer's license at the age of 17 in Massachusetts. He saddled his first career winner Joe's Coming in 1979 and his first graded stakes winner in 1984 when winning the Jamaica (G3) at Belmont Park with Raja's Shark. A 12-time Sovereign Award winner, Casse is ranked sixth in North America this year in wins (171) and purse earnings ($10.777). Just a few of Casse's many highlights include saddling winners in the 2019 Preakness (War of Will) and 2019 Belmont (Sir Winston) and training two-time champion Tepin, winner of the Queen Anne Stakes (G1) at Royal Ascot.

Casse has won training titles at Woodbine, Keeneland, Churchill and Turfway. He will become the 34th horsemen to win 3000 races.

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Hendy Woods Could Give Mark Casse 3,000th Win In Saturday’s Mrs. Revere Stakes

At the start of racing on Thursday, Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse was just three wins away from 3,000 – a mark he could eclipse with Stonestreet Stables' Hendy Woods in Saturday's $200,000 Mrs. Revere (Grade II) at Churchill Downs.

“I actually didn't realize we were this close until Wednesday night when (owner) Gary Barber said something to me,” Casse said from his home in Ocala, Fla. “It's a lot of wins and lots of getting beat up trying to get them.”

Casse has yet to win the Mrs. Revere but his assistant trainer, David Carroll, won the race in 2008 with Acoma. Carroll oversees Casse's Churchill Downs string and has been with Hendy Woods since the start of her career in January at Fair Grounds.

“She can be a bit of a difficult horse to ride at times but has a lot of talent,” Carroll said. “I think with only seven in the Mrs. Revere, and not a lot of pace, it'll be interesting to see how things play out early. She's run well in all of her starts but ran into some really nice horses in her last two races like Sharing and Harvey's Lil Goil.”

Saturday's Mrs. Revere is the headliner of the 11-race program beneath the Twin Spires. First post is 1 p.m. (all times Eastern) and the Mrs. Revere will go as Race 10 with a post time of 5:36 p.m. Run at 1 1/16 miles over the Matt Winn Turf Course, the Mrs. Revere is the lone graded stakes race in North America this weekend.

Churchill Downs leading rider Tyler Gaffalione will be aboard Hendy Woods in the Mrs. Revere. Gaffalione finished third in last year's running of the race aboard The Mackem Bullet.

Casse had two horses entered on Thursday: one at Indiana Grand and one at Gulfstream Park West.

The Mrs. Revere field from the rail out (with jockey, trainer and morning line odds): Hendy Woods (Gaffalione, Casse, 3-1); Positive Danger (Brian Hernandez Jr., Tony Granitz, 15-1); Stunning Sky (Ricardo Santana Jr., Mike Maker, 5-2); Princess Grace (Florent Geroux, Mike Stidham 3-1); How Ironic (Rafael Bejarano, Vicki Oliver, 4-1); Pass the Plate (Joe Talamo, Paul McGee, 8-1); and Witez (Julien Leparoux, Ian Wilkes, 8-1).

The Mrs. Revere is named in tribute to the highly competitive filly who collected a total of four Churchill Downs stakes during the two-year span of 1984-85. Mrs. Revere won three stakes in total during her 3-year-old season, thus providing the appropriate name for this stakes for 3-year-old fillies on the turf. Mrs. Revere was owned by the partnership of Dr. Hiram Polk and Dr. David Richardson.

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