Irad Ortiz Jr.

About

Puerto Rican jockey who is best known for being a leading rider in the New York Thoroughbred horse racing circuit since 2012. He is also known for winning his first Breeders' Cup race on Lady Eli in 2014, and his first American Classic on Creator in the 2016 Belmont Stakes. His Instagram account irad_ortiz has earned over 80,000 followers. 

Before Fame

At age 16, he enrolled in Puerto Rico's Escuela Vocacional Hípica, a school for prospective jockeys.

Trivia

At the 2019 Breeders' Cup event, he had four winners including wins in both the $4 million Turf and the $6 million Classic. That same year he also established a single-year earnings record for North American horse racing of $34,109,019.

Family Life

His grandfather, also named Irad Ortiz, was a jockey. His younger brother, José Ortiz, is a leading jockey in New York. He is married and has three daughters. His first daughter, Sarai, was born in 2015. 

Associated With

In 2020, he met and posted a photo with one of his idols Angel Cordero Jr.