‘Everything Looks Good’ As Irad Ortiz, Jr. Eases Back Into The Saddle

Sidelined by a knee injury since Jan. 7, defending two-time Championship Meet titlist Irad Ortiz Jr. returned to action Saturday at Gulfstream Park.

The 29-year-old jockey accepted two mounts for his first day back, finishing fourth in the $75,000 Sunshine Turf aboard Max K. O. in Race 4 and fifth aboard Ideal Breeze in Race 5.

“This is the way we wanted to come back. I haven't been riding for [15] days and we wanted to start getting back slowly and pick it up,” Ortiz said. “I've been coming out in the morning to get on some horses, but it's great to be back in the afternoon and be able to do what I love. It didn't take too long, and I feel great, thank God.”

Earlier in the day, Ortiz was aboard defending Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational (G1) champion Colonel Liam during a morning breeze at Palm Beach Downs. The three-time Eclipse Award-winning jockey is scheduled to ride Colonel Liam $1 million Pegasus Turf, as well as Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1) winner Life Is Good in the $3 Million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) at Gulfstream next Saturday.

“We'll see what happens, but everything looks good,” said Ortiz, who sustained a knee injury when a mount reared up in the starting gate Jan. 7. “I'm excited.”

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Irad Ortiz Plans Return At Gulfstream With Light Weekend; Full Resumption Next Week

Top jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. will return to the saddle this weekend at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla., reports the Daily Racing Form, after missing two weeks due to a knee injury suffered in the starting gate on Jan. 7. The injury was initially diagnosed as a fracture and expected to keep Ortiz from riding for up to a month, but a second opinion has cleared the jockey for a gradual return to riding races.

“Irad said he felt great this morning,” agent Steve Rushing told DRF. “He's going to start back on Saturday, only ride a couple each day this weekend, and gradually get back to a full card starting next week.”

Thursday, Jan. 6 was the first day Ortiz had ridden since the Clasico del Caribe card at Camarero (Puerto Rico) on Dec. 5, 2021, owing to a 30-day suspension for his actions in a pair of races at Aqueduct.

Ortiz has won the past three Eclipse Awards as North America's champion jockey. He led all riders with 336 wins in 2021 and ranked second with 1,443 starts and $29,274,435 in purse earnings. He also won a personal best 36 graded stakes, 10 of them Grade 1 races.

Ortiz is booked to ride Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile winner Life Is Good in the Pegasus World Cup on Jan. 29, as well as defending winner Colonel Liam in the Pegasus Turf. Trainer Todd Pletcher told DRF Ortiz would retain those mounts if all goes well this weekend.

Read more at the Daily Racing Form.

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After Friday’s Gate Incident, Irad Ortiz Takes Off Weekend Mounts At Gulfstream

Reigning champion jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. will not ride at Gulfstream Park this weekend, taking time to recover from a sore knee caused by an incident in the starting gate prior to Friday's eighth race, the Daily Racing Form's Marty McGee posted on Twitter. The rider's agent, Steve Rushing, told McGee that Ortiz plans to return to the saddle next Wednesday, when he is named to ride in eight races on the card.

Ortiz was aboard Shea On A Mission for trainer Carlos David as the field loaded into the gate, when the 4-year-old daughter of Mission Impazible became unruly and reared. Ortiz managed to escape out the back, but he immediately appeared to be in pain. He was helped away from the gate by the assistant starters, and Shea On A Mission was scratched by the track veterinarian.

Thursday was the first day Ortiz had ridden since the Clasico del Caribe card at Camarero (Puerto Rico) on Dec. 5, 2021, owing to a 30-day suspension for his actions in a pair of races at Aqueduct.

Ortiz rode two winners from five mounts on Thursday, and two winners from seven mounts on Friday prior to his injury.

Ortiz has won the past three Eclipse Awards as North America's champion jockey. He led all riders with 336 wins in 2021 and ranked second with 1,443 starts and $29,274,435 in purse earnings. He also won a personal best 36 graded stakes, 10 of them Grade 1 races.

Following the Clasico del Caribe, Ortiz remained in Puerto Rico before returning to South Florida to work horses, primarily for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher at Palm Beach Downs. He was named in 10 of 11 races Saturday and another eight on Sunday.

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Edgard Zayas On Injury Rehabilitation And Coming Back ‘Stronger Than Ever’

Horse racing is an incredibly dangerous sport to pursue as a professional athlete, and most jockeys can tell you a story or two about injuries that have forced them to watch from the sidelines until they were cleared to race. Multiple graded stakes-winning jockey Edgard Zayas is no exception, having sustained multiple injuries that have put him on the sidelines through the years.

The leading rider of Gulfstream Park's 2021 Fall Meet and Spring/Summer meet is a native of Puerto Rico as well as a former student of the Escuela Vocacional Hípica jockey school there. He moved to South Florida to pursue a career in racing in 2012. Over the span of his decade-long career, Zayas has won 1,930 races and $55,080,460 in earnings. He is currently recovering from shoulder surgery and is likely to not make another start until the spring. 

Zayas discussed his stellar year of racing accomplishments, as well as his hopes for the future following rehabilitation from his current injury. 

Question: How did you get into horse racing?

Edgard Zayas: “I used to live close to a racetrack in Puerto Rico. I used to go to that racetrack all the time with my grandfather and I really loved it. I was always into sports, but I got to a point where I was 14 or 15 years old and I was a little too small to play any sports so I decided that I really wanted to try to be a jockey. I was 17 years old when I decided to join the jockey school in Puerto Rico. It was amazing. I think they have a really good system. They teach us everything from treating a horse to riding a horse. It's awesome because at that point I had never really been involved with horses so I didn't know how to work with horses and groom them and all that. At the jockey school they teach you everything from grooming a horse and doing stalls to riding them.”

Q: How did it feel to have such a good year and bring home a leading rider title from Gulfstream after having two years in a row interfered with by injuries?

E: “It felt great. This year I was still kind of dealing with a little injury in my shoulder and I decided to get surgery because it was bugging me all year, but luckily I have support from big trainers down here in South Florida. I had a great year that would've carried on to the winter so it was a tough decision to do it [get shoulder surgery].”

Q: What does the rehabilitation process for your shoulder injury consist of?

E: “Right now I'm in a sling for four weeks. After that I'll start some therapies and whenever I get my motion and my muscles back I can start galloping horses in the morning again and then decide from there. I'm looking at probably three or four months.”

Q: Do the areas that you injured remain vulnerable to potential arthritis or re-injury now? If so, what kind of special care or precautions do you have to take now that you didn't before?

E: “Yeah absolutely. The more injuries I get, I have to take care of myself more. I'm young, but I'll start getting older little by little. There's things I like to do outside of horse racing like I used to play basketball and stuff like that, but those are things that I now have to compromise for horse racing. I have to concentrate on what I do to not get re-injured.”

Q: Did you find that having to take that much time off from racing had any impact on your mental health? 

E: “Absolutely, and I've been doing really good every time I've gotten an injury, but it's really tough mentally. Hopefully I get a couple years of being healthy. That's all I can ask for.”

Q: Is it difficult to get momentum back with trainers after time away due to injuries?

E: “Luckily I've always got support when I come back and I'm able to get the ball rolling quick. Hopefully this time will be the same way. I'm going to try to come back stronger than ever, and finally I can ride confidently because this whole year I had that shoulder problem that was really bugging me. Hopefully when I come back I can come back one hundred percent and get the support and get the ball rolling for a better year.”

Q: Who is one other jockey that you look up to the most?

E: “Johnny V absolutely. Inside he's the best and outside he's the best.”

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