The difference between him and some other horses some other horses can go fast and hold their speed for six furlongs or a mile, but he can stay the distance. He was feeling good, he was running relaxed and going the right way, so I just didn't mess with him, I let him do his thing and keep going. I let him go into the first turn and then I just used my judgment.
after the gates open, everything changes. “Honestly, I know my horse is fast, but I never thought I was going to be on the lead by three or four lengths,” Ortiz said when asked if he was surprised by how easily Life Is Good outran presumptive Horse of the Year Knicks Go ( Paynter) in the Pegasus. Tuesday, the sometimes polarizing rider sat down with the TDN Writers' Room presented by Keeneland as the Green Group Guest of the Week to discuss his success, his suspension, his rise to the top of the game and whether or not he pays attention to either the positive or negative attention he receives from racing fans. aboard emergent superstar Life Is Good (Into Mischief). on back-to-back winner Colonel Liam ( Liam's Map) and Pegasus World Cup Invitational S. Upon his return, the 29-year-old picked up where he left off at Gulfstream, piloting winners left and right and over the weekend, added two more seven-figure Grade I wins to his trophy collection with victories in the Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational S. Shortly after scoring a hat trick of victories at the Breeders' Cup, Ortiz was suspended 30 days for careless riding at Aqueduct. There is no room for complacency in this sibling rivalry.It was an eventful few months for three-time Eclipse champion jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. He told me ‘I’m going to beat you,’” Irad recalled. Ortiz had won the first of the five Cup races on “Future Stars Friday.” Jose countered two races later with Pizza Bianca in the Juvenile Fillies Turf.Īs the two prepared for the frenzied second day of competition, they exchanged jibes about which brother would bring home the Shoemaker Award in the Ortiz name. He shed some light on that by describing how the brothers playfully spurred each other after the first day of Breeders’ Cup competition at Del Mar. “People don’t know how competitive we are,” Irad Ortiz said. Jose won an Eclipse in 2017 and continues to rank prominently among elite riders. If Ortiz should ever forget that, younger brother Jose, 28, is literally beside him in the jockeys’ room to remind him.
But there is always room for improvement.” He also has a great sense of a race and where his horse needs to be early. “It’s not surprising, the success he has accomplished, because he’s so devoted,” Dominguez said. The need for those conversations has diminished. Ortiz used to regularly consult retired great Ramon Dominguez for advice. If he continues to improve for a few more years, it’s scary how good he will be.” But he said, “Typically, I don’t feel riders reach their peak until their early to mid-30’s. Steve Rushing, his veteran agent, struggles to pinpoint any skills that might need to be honed. I’ve been riding for 11 years now, so I feel really, really prepared. “I think I have some room for improvement, honestly,” he said.
In fact, he is the first to make that argument. Since the inception of the Shoemaker Award in 2003, the late Garrett Gomez (2007-2008) and Smith (2012-2013) were the only other riders able to string together consecutive honors before Irad Jr.’s four-peat.Īnd it can be argued that Ortiz, Jr. Consider that Mike Smith’s Juvenile triumph aboard Corniche extended his Breeders’ Cup record to 27 wins – at age 56. His latest successes - with Twilight Gleaming (IRE) (Juvenile Turf), Golden Pal (Turf Sprint) and Life Is Good (Dirt Mile) - hiked his Breeders’ Cup victory total to 14.
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