Up front We The People made the running, with Mo Donegal not far behind his Todd Pletcher-trained stablemate Nest as the Mike Repole-owned pair stalked the pace.įifth in the Derby, Mo Donegal responded immediately when Ortiz Jr asked him to go and while the filly Nest gave chase, she was never going to get there. Much of the pre-race attention surrounded Rich Strike, the 80-1 winner of the Kentucky Derby.īut the Eric Reed-trained colt was at the back of the pack from the beginning and despite a brief move that looked momentarily promising, he was ultimately never able to land a serious blow, eventually finishing sixth. Irad Ortiz Jr warmed up for his trip to Royal Ascot in spectacular fashion as he guided Mo Donegal to victory in the Belmont Stakes. I will have to walk the course and have a feel, but hopefully he will handle the straight track – I expect he will.” He added: “He’s a great horse and a fast horse and I know he has a good chance. He has steered the four-year-old to all but one of his six career wins, including two Breeders’ Cup triumphs, and is relishing the opportunity to ride him at Ascot. Golden Pal makes all to land the Turf Sprint in dominant fashion for Irad Ortiz Jr□□ /vTYenW4A68 Ortiz Jr has a strong book of five rides for trainer Wesley Ward, kicking off with Golden Pal in the King’s Stand on Tuesday. “It was very special and a great feeling to win the Belmont, but now I’m here, so let’s see if we can do something, hopefully we can.” ![]() “I rode Acapulco at York (second in the Nunthorpe in 2015), but to ride at Royal Ascot is something amazing and something different and something I always wanted to do. Just to be here is amazing for me,” he told the PA news agency. “I feel great, it’s a lovely place and it’s a dream come true to be here, honestly. Irad Ortiz Jr holds the trophy aloft after winning Saturday’s Belmont Stakes (Frank Franklin II/AP) The 29-year-old is already in double figures when it comes to Breeders’ Cup wins and on Saturday won the Belmont Stakes – the final leg of the American Triple Crown – for a second time aboard Mo Donegal.Īnd for all his accomplishments on the other side of the Atlantic, Ortiz Jr would take immense satisfaction from victory at the Royal meeting. The crack American-based Puerto Rican is no stranger to big-race success and is widely regarded as one of the best jockeys in the world, having collected a host of Grade One victories across North America over the past decade, together with three Eclipse awards. Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.Irad Ortiz Jr will realise a long-held ambition if he can ride a winner on his first appearance at Royal Ascot this week. is a great rider but he needs to reflect on his tactics going forward.” “Upon reflection, and further viewing, I think there should have been a DQ in the Remsen. “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. Social media took notice of the rides by Ortiz, who is often accused of “herding” other riders. 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. Saturday at Aqueduct, which he won with Mo Donegal ( Uncle Mo), also resulted in controversy. Irad Ortiz won three races on the Camerero card. He was not at Aqueduct Sunday and was instead was riding at Hipodromo Camerero in his native Puerto Rico, as was his brother, Jose. 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. David Grening of the Daily Racing Form reported that Ortiz will not appeal the ruling. ![]() 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.Ĭalls to Ortiz's agent Steve Rushing were not returned Sunday. Gran Casique was disqualified and placed last. 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. McKenna said the suspension would begin “some time this week.”Īboard 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. News of the suspension was confirmed late Sunday by NYRA spokesman Pat McKenna. has been handed a 30-day suspension by the Aqueduct stewards for his ride aboard Gran Casique (Algorithms) in the eighth race on Friday.
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