Irad Ortiz

A story in the Thursday edition of USA Today alleges that the ties to cockfighting for Jose and Irad Ortiz go beyond the social media video which surfaced in January showing them taking bets at an undated cockfight, documenting photos and social media posts which suggest a deeper participation in the sport. In January, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) sent a letter to the NTRA asking that the brothers be banned from further Eclipse consideration due to the social media video. The USA Today article cites...

So that's now 41 straight runnings of the GI Kentucky Derby in which the horse breaking from the one post has lost. Take nothing away from Golden Tempo (Curlin), who ran the race of his life for rising star trainer Cherie DeVaux and was a deserving winner after breaking from post 16. He beat Renegade (Into Mischief), who was saddled with the one post. But had the post positions been reversed, would Renegade have won? It's a fair question. Renegade was roughed up at the start, bumping repeatedly with other...

Gary Barber, Cheyenne Stable and Wachtel Stable's Rhetorical (Not This Time) was trying nine furlongs for the first time in his career in Saturday's GI Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic at Churchill Downs, but the distance proved no hindrance whatsoever, as the New York-bred wrested command not long after the break over a course that had been playing kind to front-running types over the weekend and proved not for catching. The 5-year-old gelding is the second consecutive winner of the Turf Classic bred in New York, joining Spirit of St...

'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' Cy Fair (f, 3, Not This Time--Remarqued, by Arch) is a big fan of showing her best during the sport's biggest weeks. Following a scintillating win in last fall's GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint over the boys, the bay filly signaled her return as a headliner with a commanding win Thursday of Derby Week at Churchill Downs in the GIII Mamzelle Stakes. In winning, she beat the reopposing Slay the Day (Into Mischief), who spoiled Cy Fair's sophomore campaign kickoff nearly three weeks...

Juddmonte's Touch of Fire (Constitution) tracked an easy pace on Fair Grounds debut Jan. 8 and kicked into high gear in the lane, putting some seven lengths on his rivals to earn 'TDN Rising Star' presented by Hagyard status. Accordingly sent off the 2-5 favorite for the Feb. 28 Black Gold Stakes in New Orleans, the homebred had things his own way on the lead, but could not quite see it out and settled for second to the promising Black Hornet (Essential Quality). Back into allowance company here as the...

East Jabip (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}) belied debut odds of just over 9-1 to take a field of Gulfstream maidens gate to wire on one-mile debut Feb. 26 and was the 18-5 second choice stepping up to face winners for the first time in a first-level allowance at Keeneland on Thursday. Away alertly from gate four, the €36,000 Goffs Orby purchase prompted a strong early pace before easing into the box seat for the run down the back straight. Continuing to ride the rails into the turn, East Jabip came off...

Two years ago and on the heels of a victory in the GI Breeders' Cup Mile, Master of the Seas (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) returned to American shores for his seasonal debut in the GI Maker's Mark Mile and ran out a ready 2 1/4-length winner. Eclipse Award-winning 'TDN Rising Star' presented by Hagyard Notable Speech (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) will jump a warm favorite in an attempt to repeat the dose Friday afternoon at Keeneland, with William Buick--the only rider the 5-year-old has known in his career--in for the steer. It...

Spendthrift Farm had a bitter pill to swallow over the winter when it was announced that their Eclipse Award-winning 'TDN Rising Star' presented by Hagyard Ted Noffey (Into Mischief) would be forced to miss the 2026 Classics with bone bruising. It must be nice to have an understudy the caliber of Further Ado (Gun Runner), a fellow 'Rising Star' when graduating by no fewer than 20 lengths at bucolic Keeneland Race Course last October and now a fellow Grade I winner after toying with six other sophomores in Saturday's $1.25-million...

'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard', Further Ado (Gun Runner) was tabbed by track oddsmaker Nick Tammaro as the 8-5 morning line favorite in a field of nine 3-year-olds for Saturday's 102nd running of the $1.25 million GI Toyota Blue Grass Stakes, Keeneland said via a press release on Tuesday. Contested at 1 1/8 miles on the main track, the Blue Grass offers 200 qualifying points for the GI Kentucky Derby. The winner receives 100 points with a sliding scale of 50-25-15-10 points to the second- through fifth-place finishers. The...

Saffie Joseph, Jr. captured his 15th consecutive leading trainer title at Gulfstream Park with the conclusion of the track's Championship Meet Sunday, while Irad Ortiz Jr. finished as leading rider at the meet for a fourth straight time and a record-extending seventh time overall. It was the fifth straight Championship Meet title for Joseph, a 39-year-old native of Barbados whose string of success dates back to Gulfstream's 2021 Royal Palm stand. He had 45 wins and more than $4.7 million in purse earnings during the 72-day stand. "Obviously my name...

Injured in a spill Thursday at Gulfstream, Irad Ortiz Jr., will not ride through Sunday, reports his agent Steve Rushing. Mike Welsch of the Daily Racing Form was the first to report that Ortiz would be out through the remainder of the weekend. "He's just really body sore," Rushing told the TDN via text. "He's going to take a few days off and will, hopefully, return next week." Ortiz was scheduled to ride in seven races Saturday at Colonial Downs, including in four stakes races. Five of his seven mounts...

Facing down a heavy favorite, Disruptor (Gun Runner) was extremely game down the lane in the GIII Michelob Ultra Challenger Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs on Saturday. Named a 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard', at second asking a little over a year ago when he graduated by 9 1/4 lengths at Gulfstream Park, Disruptor tried deeper waters in the GI Curlin Florida Derby and finished a well-beaten fifth. The chestnut took a break for the rest of the year and returned to training in early December at Todd Pletcher's...