irad ortiz jr | Horse Racing Free Tips

Raging Bull Returns a Winner in Maker’s Mark

Having last tasted victory in the GI Shoemaker Mile last May, Peter Brant's Raging Bull (Fr) (Dark Angel {Ire}) exploded from off the pace to comfortably best 8-1 chance Ride a Comet (Candy Ride {Arg}) in Friday's GI Maker's Mark Mile at Keeneland. Settled in a rail-hugging fifth behind Get Smokin (Get Stormy) through opening fractions of :22.47 and :45.65, the 7-2 chance made a big move to get into contention approaching the quarter pole, swung out three wide to take control at the head of the lane and drove clear to score by two lengths over the game Ride a Comet. Chad Brown-trained stablemate Sacred Life (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) was third.

“He was traveling so good down the backside,” said Ortiz Jr. “I was close to the leaders. I tried to stay in contact with the field. He broke sharp today. I had an advantage there. The first turn, I let him run then I slowed him down. He relaxed so well. He was like three or four lengths behind the leaders. I said I'm just gonna wait until it's time to go. By the three-eighths pole, I saw some separation, so I went for it a little early. He responded well, so I just went for it. He still had something at the end.”

“Both horses [Raging Bull and stablemate and third-place finisher Sacred Life] ran great, especially given the layoffs they were facing,” added Brown. “Raging Bull got a great trip and setup. He's much more effective with a solid pace in front of him. Irad deserves a lot of credit for getting him into the race early and securing a great spot into the first turn.”

Winning four of six to start his career as a 3-year-old, including victories in the GII Hall of Fame S., GIII Saranac S. and Manila S., the 2016 Goffs September buy recorded his first win at the highest level in the 2018 GI Hollywood Derby at Del Mar. Despite failing to score in five starts as a 4-year-old, he earned second in the GI Fourstardave H. and third in the GI Manhattan S. before getting promoted to third via DQ in that season's GI Woodbine Mile. Kicking off 2020 with a confident score at the Grade I level at Santa Anita, the French bred was a close-up third in last year's renewal of this race before finishing fifth in the Fourstardave at the Spa. A good second in the GI Shadwell Turf Mile in Lexington in October, the 6-year-old finished 10th in his latest start in the Nov. 7 GI Breeders' Cup Mile.

Pedigree Note:
Raging Bull, one of seven Group 1/Grade I winners for Dark Angel, holds the distinction of being the Yeomanstown Stud stallion's second North American Grade I winner, following Hunt (Ire) in 2018. One of two winners from four foals to race thus far out of his French SP dam, Raging Bull is a grandson of Rolly Polly was an Italian highweight filly at two and annexed both the GII Senator Ken Maddy S. and GIII Las Cienegas S. going down the hill at Santa Anita. Bought by Brant's White Birch at Goffs November in 2016, Rosa Bonheur is responsible for an unraced juvenile full-brother to Raging Bull named Bobbie D (Ire) and a yearling brother by Dubawi (Ire).

Friday, Keeneland
MAKER'S MARK MILE S.-GI, $300,000, Keeneland, 4-9, 4yo/up, 1mT, 1:33.86, gd.
1–RAGING BULL (FR), 118, h, 6, by Dark Angel (Ire)
                1st Dam: Rosa Bonheur (SP-Fr), by Mr. Greeley
                2nd Dam: Rolly Polly (Ire), by Mukaddamah
                3rd Dam: Rare Sound (Ire), by Rarity (GB)
(€90,000 Ylg '16 GOFORB). O-Peter M. Brant; B-Dayton
Investments Limited (FR); T-Chad C. Brown; J-Irad Ortiz, Jr.
$180,000. Lifetime Record: 18-7-3-3, $1,496,750. Werk Nick
   Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Ride a Comet, 118, h, 6, Candy Ride (Arg)–Appealing Zophie,
by Successful Appeal. ($45,000 RNA Ylg '16 KEESEP; $375,000
2yo '17 OBSAPR). O-John C. Oxley &My Meadowview Farm
LLC; B-My Meadowview LLC (KY); T-Mark E. Casse. $60,000.
3–Sacred Life (Fr), 118, h, 6, Siyouni (Fr)–Knyazhna (Ire), by
Montjeu (Ire). (€50,000 Ylg '16 ARAUG). O-Michael Dubb,
Madaket Stables LLC, Wonder Stables & Bethlehem Stables
LLC; B-Mr. Viktor Timoshenko & Mr. Andriy Milovanov (FR);
T-Chad C. Brown. $30,000.
Margins: 2, HF, HF. Odds: 3.50, 8.80, 4.50.
Also Ran: Field Pass, Hit the Road, Darain (GB), Somelikeithotbrown, Get Smokin, Flying Scotsman.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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Welcome Back: Irad Ortiz Jr. Rides Six Winners On Wood Memorial Card

Fresh off earning a record-setting title as leading rider at Gulfstream Park this winter, jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. returned to New York in style, notching six wins on Saturday's 11-race Wood Memorial program at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park.

Ortiz, Jr., 28, flourished in stakes action, piloting Grade 3, $200,000 Bay Shore-winner Drain the Clock [$2.70] and Grade 3, $250,000 Gazelle-winner Search Results, [$2.80] as well as Mischevious Alex [$3.70], who won the Grade 1, $300,000 Carter Handicap.

Ortiz, Jr. also made trips to the Big A winner's circle aboard Great Workout [Race 3, $3.60], Flighty Lady [Race 7, $3.40], and Michael's Bad Boy [Race 11, $3.90].

The six-win day doubled Ortiz, Jr.'s victories [12] through the first three days of the 11-day Aqueduct spring meet.

“It's been great. I keep getting a lot of support from my people,” Ortiz, Jr. “It feels great to be back. I got four winners on Thursday, two yesterday and six more today. I'm very thankful for all the support.”

Three of the six wins were for trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr., who sent out Drain the Clock, Mischevious Alex and Michael's Bad Boy.

“He's a great trainer. He does a good job with his horses,” Ortiz, Jr. said. “He's been getting some better horses and having the chance to train them.”

Ortiz, Jr. tops the Big A spring meet jockey standings with 12 wins, six clear of his brother, Jose Ortiz.

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Search Results Dominates Filly Rivals In Gazelle Stakes At Aqueduct

Search Results ran her record to a perfect 3-for-3 and jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. scored his fifth victory on the day when the Klaravich Stables 3-year-old easily defeated five other fillies seeking Kentucky Oaks points in the Grade 3 Gazelle Stakes at Aqueduct racetrack in Ozone Park, N.Y.

Racing just off pacesetter Alwayz Late, Search Results moved to the lead on the turn for home without any urging and was never threatened down the stretch, drawing off to win by 2 3/4 lengths. Maracuja, who trailed the field in the run down the backstretch under Kendrick Carmouche, finished second, with Army Wife and Trevor McCarthy third, The Grass Is Blue fourth, Alwayz Late fifth and Mia Martina sixth.

A 3-year-old filly by Flatter bred in Kentucky by Machmer Hall and purchased from Select Sales at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale by Mike Ryan, agent, for $310,000, Search Results, produced from the Candy Ride mare Co Cola, is trained by Chad Brown. She covered 1 1/8 miles in 1:54.14 and paid $2.80 as the odds-on favorite. Fractions of the Gazelle were :24.88, :50.99, 1:15.06 and 1:40.70.

The top four finishers in the Gazelle earned 100-40-20-10 qualifying points for the Kentucky Oaks, to be run at Churchill Downs on April 30.

Search Results did not race at 2 but won her debut at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 3, taking a six-furlong maiden contest by four lengths. Brown sent the filly to New York for her next start in the Busher Invitational on March 6 and she responded with a half-length win, getting up in the final strides to defeat favored Miss Brazil.

Post-race quotes:

Chad Brown, winning trainer of Search Results (No. 8, $2.80*) and fourth-place finisher The Grass Is Blue (No. 5): “I thought she [Search Results] was very professional today. She maybe lost focus when she surged to the front and there was no one around her in deep stretch. When she had a horse in front of her, I loved the way she was moving into the bit. I was relieved to see that she could handle the mile and an eighth. We were cautiously optimistic, but you always have to see them do it first to be sure.”

On running in the Kentucky Oaks on April 30: “If she comes out of it in good shape, that would be the next step and it's something we've been working towards. Although she got her season started late, she seems to be catching up fast on this crop. She seems like one of the contenders, at least, so we're thankful for that.”

Irad Ortiz, Jr., winning jockey aboard Search Results (No. 8): “She relaxed so good. She did everything right. We broke out of there and had a target. Going into the last turn, I had plenty of horse, I was just waiting to make my move. When I asked her, she really picked it up.”

On notching his fifth win on the card and returning to New York to ride in the spring meet: “I'm so happy to be back home in New York. I have to thank all the trainers and owners. I know all the people here and I'm happy to be riding for so many trainers.”

Rob Atras, trainer of runner-up Maracuja (No. 2): The track was a little slow and they were going slow, but I wasn't too concerned as she has that late running style. She was settled and when Kendrick [Carmouche] asked her to pick it up, she did it. She raced wide and closed and ran a really game second. I'm really happy with her effort.”

Kendrick Carmouche, jockey aboard runner-up Maracuja (No. 2): “I loved this filly today. I knew coming from six and a half [furlongs] and stretching out to a mile and an eighth, I just wanted to get a good break and ride her like I did last time [a win on February 21 at Aqueduct]. She made a big run and did it well. I'm looking forward to riding her next time because this distance should really move her forward.”

Trevor McCarthy, jockey aboard third-place finisher Army Wife (No. 4): “I had an inside trip the whole way. The hole was there when we shot for it. We had a bit of inside pressure and outside pressure. It was just a tough situation. Sometimes, you get lucky. Sometimes, you don't.”

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Mischevious Alex Breaks Through With Grade 1 Performance In Carter Handicap

Returning to New York a little more than a year after his resounding victory in the Grade 3 Gotham at Aqueduct Racetrack last March, Mischevious Alex became a Grade 1 winner on Saturday at the Big A, taking the $300,000 Carter Handicap with ease as the odds-on favorite under Irad Ortiz, Jr.

A compact-but-talented group of five assembled for the seven-furlong Carter, and the winner certainly delivered a Grade 1-caliber performance, rallying from off the pace to prevail by 5 ½ lengths and light up a stellar undercard for the Grade 2, $750,000 Wood Memorial presented by Resorts World Casino.

Departing from post 4, the Saffie Joseph, Jr.-trained Mischevious Alex broke well and sat in third position early as the fleet-footed Chateau went out to lead the field down the backstretch through an honest opening quarter-mile of 23.09 seconds, with Souper Stonehenge in second, multiple Grade 1-winner Mind Control in fourth, and Shoplifted at the tail of the field.

Chateau spurted away from the trailing quartet around the far turn, picking up the pace to run a half in 45.89, but Mischevious Alex and Ortiz remained patient while perched three-wide on the track. Turning for home Chateau maintained a sizable advantage, but once straightened out for the drive Mischevious Alex came with steady strides, gobbling up ground to overtake the frontrunner at the eighth pole and from there drawing off handily before being geared down nearing the wire.

“I broke so well and the other horse [Chateau] went, so there was some speed. I was in no hurry,” said Ortiz, Jr.. “I just rode him with confidence and patience. Turning for home, I changed leads on him and he just took off.”

The win was a long time coming for Mischevious Alex, who burst onto the scene last year as a 3-year-old for trainer John Servis with daylight wins in the Gotham and Grade 3 Swale at Gulfstream Park before his sophomore year was cut short after disappointing performances in the Grade 1 H. Allen Jerkens at Saratoga Race Course and Grade 1 Woody Stephens at Belmont Park.

Transferred to Joseph for his 4-year-old campaign, the son of Into Mischief won a pair of races at Gulfstream in style, including the Grade 3 Gulfstream Park Sprint on February 13, prior to his breakthrough score on Saturday, which gave the young Florida-based horseman just his second Grade 1 victory.

“I was a little concerned early in the race,” said Joseph. “He was a little far back and I know the track has been heavy and I didn't know if he could make up that much ground. Obviously, he was giving Irad some feel and he rode him with a ton of confidence. He ran well but I didn't expect him to win a Grade 1 as easy as he did. Mind Control is a Grade 1-winner and the horse on lead, Chateau, going seven-eighths might be a tad further than what he wants to go, but he has been very impressive. I have a lot of respect for the competition.”

A popular choice at the windows, Mischevious Alex returned $3.70 on a $2 win wager and completed the seven-furlong distance in 1:23.97. Notching his seventh win from just 12 career starts, the bay colt bred in Kentucky by WinStar Farm also increased his career earnings to $614,730 for owners Cash is King LLC and LC Racing.

The classy millionaire Mind Control rallied to get second beneath Junior Alvarado, finishing a length in front of Souper Stonehenge in third. It was another neck back to Chateau in fourth, who distanced Shoplifted by 17 ¾ lengths.

“We were stuck on the rail a little bit but that's how it goes,” said Mind Control's trainer Gregg Sacco. “We took what they gave us. The winner ran dynamite, take nothing away from him. Congratulations to Saffie and his crew. We were coming off a little bit of a break and we'll meet again down the road. We're very proud of Mind Control. It was a great way to start the year.”

As for Mischevious Alex's next assignment, it would appear the Grade 1, $1 million Metropolitan on June 5 at Belmont Park on the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes undercard is squarely in play, though the Met Mile may not be an ideal spot for the brilliant sprinter, according to Joseph.

“Chuck [of Cash is King Racing] has always wanted to go to the Met Mile because we want to make him [Mischevious Alex] a stallion,” said the trainer. “Winning a Grade 1 today takes a lot of pressure off. In my opinion, he wants to sprint six or seven furlongs. Can he get a mile? Yes, against the right company. But it all depends on who shows up. The Met Mile is definitely under consideration and then the two Grade 1s at Saratoga [Forego and Vanderbilt]. There's a lot of options. Hopefully, he comes out of it good and then we'll make a game plan.”

With Aqueduct closed on Easter Sunday, racing resumes at the Big A next Thursday with a scheduled first post of 1:20 p.m. Eastern.

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