Tag: irad ortiz jr

Writers’ Room Tackles Medina Spirit News, Baffert, Ortiz Suspension

It was a busy news week, headlined by the unfortunate sudden death of GI Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit (Protonico) and the 30-day suspension handed down to leading rider Irad Ortiz, Jr. Wednesday morning, Joe Bianca, Bill Finley and Jon Green of the TDN Writers' Room presented by Keeneland discussed and reacted to all of it, rekindled the debate over whether trainer Bob Baffert is good for the sport, and welcomed the director of the upcoming film “Jockey” as the Green Group Guest of the Week.

“A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a story about two state legislators in New York looking to take all the slot money away from NYRA, and last year it was the governor of Pennsylvania,” Finley said. “Every time something like [Medina Spirit's death] happens, it makes their case stronger. And you know what? I bet you there are some politicians in California right now that are thinking, maybe it's time to introduce a bill to ban horse racing in the state. I think a lot of people don't think this will ever happen. It's not going to happen tomorrow or the next day, and it may not ever happen, but you have to be very scared of this. It is a realistic threat. Fifteen years ago, if I suggested that the circus would no longer exist, it would have been laughable to think about something like that.”

Elsewhere on the show, which is also sponsored by Coolmore, West Point Thoroughbreds, XBTV and Legacy Bloodstock, the hosts asked whether Ortiz will become a more careful rider after his suspension and the outcry that followed two incidents he was involved in over the weekend, and reacted to the news of the police arresting members of the Rossi family in France in an alleged doping and race-fixing conspiracy. Click here to watch the podcast; click here for the audio-only version or find it on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

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Irad Ortiz Jr. Gets 30-Day Suspension For Careless Riding At Aqueduct

Three-time Eclipse Award-winning jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. received a 30 calendar- day suspension from the board of stewards at Aqueduct on Sunday for two careless riding incidents at the South Ozone Park, N.Y., track on  Friday and Saturday, Daily Racing Form's David Grening reported. Grening reported Ortiz Jr. does not plan to appeal and will begin serving the ban this week after signing a waiver.

Ortiz Jr.'s mount Gran Casique was disqualified from second and placed last after causing apprentice Omar Hernandez Moreno to be unseated from his mount, Ragtime Blues, in Friday's eighth race.

On Saturday, his winning ride aboard Mo Donegal in the Grade 2 Remsen Stakes survived a stewards inquiry and his win on Nest in the G2 Demoiselle faced an objection from jockey John Velazquez, who rode the second-place finisher Venti Valentine. Stewards upheld the order of finish in both cases. Ortiz Jr. won three graded stakes on Saturday's card and wrapped up the riding title for the fall meet.

Ortiz Jr. rode in his native Puerto Rico Sunday and had been named to ride at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla., on Wednesday.

The 30-day ban for causing Friday's spill is consistent with the suspension jockey Paco Lopez received from Gulfstream Park stewards in 2019 for his role in a two-horse accident that left two riders injured. A second incident at Gulfstream Park led to Lopez being banned 60 days.

Neither Hernandez Moreno nor Ragtime Blues suffered serious injury.

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Irad Ortiz Jr. Suspended for 30 Days

Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. has been handed a 30-day suspension by the Aqueduct stewards for his ride aboard Gran Casique (Algorithms) in the eighth race on Friday. News of the suspension was confirmed late Sunday by NYRA spokesman Pat McKenna. McKenna said the suspension would begin “some time this week.”

Aboard Gran Casique, Ortiz came over several paths toward the rail on the run down the backstretch and cut off Ragtime Blues (Union Rags) and apprentice jockey Omar Hernandez Moreno. The infraction was so egregious that the Equibase chart caller wrote: “Gran Casique angled in with reckless abandon and bumped Ragtime Blues at the five-eighths and bumped him hard which caused that foe to lose his rider…” Moreno was not seriously hurt.

Gran Casique was disqualified and placed last.

The stewards apparently agreed with the chart caller, handing Ortiz a suspension that went well beyond the normal five or seven-day penalty usually given to jockeys for careless riding.

Calls to Ortiz's agent Steve Rushing were not returned Sunday. David Grening of the Daily Racing Form reported that Ortiz will not appeal the ruling.

The suspension came on the same day that Ortiz wrapped up the riding title at the 15-day Aqueduct fall meet with 21 wins from 76 mounts. He was not at Aqueduct Sunday and was instead was riding at Hipodromo Camerero in his native Puerto Rico, as was his brother, Jose. Irad Ortiz won three races on the Camerero card.

Ortiz's ride in the GII Remsen S. Saturday at Aqueduct, which he won with Mo Donegal (Uncle Mo), also resulted in controversy. Crossing the wire a nose in front of Zandon (Upstart), he came over, bumped with that rival in deep stretch and put him in tight quarters. The stewards let the result stand.

Social media took notice of the rides by Ortiz, who is often accused of “herding” other riders.

“Aggressive riding is one thing but constantly riding the edge, and sometimes crossing it, is another,” NYRA's Andy Serling wrote on Twitter after the Remsen. “Upon reflection, and further viewing, I think there should have been a DQ in the Remsen. @iradortiz is a great rider but he needs to reflect on his tactics going forward.”

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Aqueduct Fall Meet Concludes with Ortiz, Jr., Pletcher, Klaravich Titles

Jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr., Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher, and owner Seth Klarman's Klaravich Stables wrapped up Aqueduct's 15-day fall meet with the titles in their respective divisions Sunday. Ortiz, Jr. earned his eighth riding title at the Ozone Park track with a fall record of 76-21-7-12, a 27.63% win rate, and earnings of over $1.44 million. His five fall stakes included three on Saturday: the GII Remsen S. with Mo Donegal (Uncle Mo), the GII Demoiselle S. with Nest (Curlin), and the GIII Go For Wand S. with Lady Rocket (Tale of the Cat). Jose Lezcano and Luis Saez tied for second in the rider standings with 17 wins apiece.

Pletcher notched 13 wins during the meet, with a total scoreboard of 52-13-8-7 and earnings of over $1.55 million. His 25% win rate was also highlighted by five stakes, including three on Saturday: the GI Cigar Mile with Americanrevolution (Constitution), and the joint Remsen and Demoiselle wins while partnered with Ortiz, Jr. It was Pletcher's first Aqueduct fall title since 2018. Christophe Clement and Chad Brown tied for second in the trainer standings with 11 wins each.

Klaravich Stables won the fall meet leading owner title for the second straight year with five total wins and a final record of 17-5-0-5. With earnings just shy of $260,000, it was the stable's fourth owner title on the NYRA circuit this season. Michael Dubb and Repole Stable tied for second with four wins each.

The 56-day winter meet at Aqueduct will kick off Thursday, Dec. 9. First post on the eight-race card is 12:50 p.m. ET. The meet will feature 46 stakes races worth nearly $6 million in purses and will conclude Sunday, Mar. 27.

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