Jockey Bios

Jose Ortiz

Born: October 2, 1993, in Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico

Record at Keeneland

Total Wins: 97

Stakes Wins: 19

Career Firsts

First Grade 1 Win: 2013 Hopeful at Saratoga on Strong Mandate

First Stakes Win: 2013 Beru at Aqueduct on Let Me Entertain U

First Graded Stakes Win: 2013 Dwyer (G2) at Belmont aboard Moreno

First Career Win: (In Puerto Rico) Jan. 7, 2012, at Hipodromo Camarero on Dona Clara. (U.S.) March 21, 2012, at Aqueduct on Corofin

Starters in the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes

Year	Horse	Finish
2024	Top Conor	6th
2020	Finnick the Fierce	7th
2019	Win Win Win	2nd
2018	Good Magic	Won
2017	Tapwrit	5th

At Keeneland

First win came during the 2016 Fall Meet. Had ridden at Keeneland only eight times prior to then. Won a total of 10 races during the season.

First stakes win was the 2017 Madison (G1) on Paulassilverlining. Won the 2020 Madison during the five-day Summer Meet on Guarana.

During the 2023 Spring Meet, won the Commonwealth (G3) on Bo Cruz, the Palisades (L) on Fandom (GB) and the FanDuel Limestone on Hot Beach.

Other major stakes wins are the Toyota Blue Grass (G2) (Good Magic, 2018), the Claiborne Breeders' Futurity (G1) (Maxfield, 2022; Locked, 2023), the Coolmore Turf Mile (G1) (Up to the Mark, 2023) and the Jenny Wiley (G1) (Regal Glory, 2022).

Career

Triple Crown wins (2): 2017 Belmont on Tapwrit; 2022 Preakness on Early Voting.

Breeders’ Cup wins (4): 2016 Juvenile Turf on Oscar Performance; 2017 Juvenile on Good Magic; 2019 Juvenile Turf on Structor; 2021 Sprint on Aloha West and Juvenile Fillies Turf on Pizza Bianca.

Received the Eclipse Award as outstanding jockey for 2017.

Scored 3,000th career win June 9, 2024, at Churchill Downs when he rode Save the Trees to win the third race. Career earnings through that day exceed $247 million.

Recorded 2,000th career win June 11, 2020, at Belmont Park aboard Creed in the fourth race.

Won his 1,000th race July 28, 2016, aboard Moonlight Song in the John Morrissey Stakes at Saratoga.

On the first seven races at Aqueduct on Jan. 20, 2013, he won three races and his brother Irad won four races.

Click here for his Equibase career record.

Background

Jose and his year-older brother and frequent riding rival, Irad Ortiz Jr., are from Puerto Rico, where they graduated from the Escuela Vocacional Hipica jockey school. Their grandfather and an uncle also were jockeys.

Irad Ortiz moved to New York in 2011, and Jose began riding at Parx a year later. Jose soon relocated to New York and won with his first mount, Corofin, in March 2012 at Aqueduct. Today the brothers are among the most successful riders in Thoroughbred racing.

In 2016, Irad told Jeff Lowe of “America’s Best Racing” that he always competed against Irad, whether in baseball, basketball or horse racing. “That’s just what we do,” he said. “We’ve always competed, trying to beat each other. It’s still fun. We’re still very close. We share the same corner in the jockey’s room in New York and when we get done racing, he usually stops by my house, just about every day.”