HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Irad Ortiz Jr. could be sidelined three to four more weeks after initially being diagnosed with a small fracture in a knee this week, although it’s possible he could return sooner after seeking out a second medical opinion, according to Steve Rushing, agent for the jockey.  Rushing said late Wednesday that the knee may only be contused, and not fractured, and Ortiz will be reevaluated Tuesday.  Ortiz suffered the injury prior to the eighth race last Friday at Gulfstream Park when his scheduled mount, Shea On a Mission, became very fractious in the starting gate, causing him to slam his knee on the metal structure. Shea On a Mission was scratched and Ortiz had to be helped off the racetrack. For a couple of days afterward, prior to the injury being diagnosed, Ortiz and Rushing had held out hope the jockey could return to action this week at Gulfstream.  An extended absence would create openings on numerous top contenders Ortiz would be riding in upcoming stakes at Gulfstream, most notably on Life Is Good in the $3 million Pegasus World Cup on Jan. 29. Todd Pletcher, the trainer of Life Is Good, said he intended to meet Thursday with WinStar Farm president Elliott Walden to discuss a new jockey for the 4-year-old colt if needed.  :: Access morning workout reports straight from the tracks and get an edge with DRF Clocker Reports In his last start, Life Is Good, owned by WinStar and China Horse Club, earned a career-high 109 Beyer Speed Figure in a 5 3/4-length romp in the Nov. 6 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile with Ortiz riding. He is scheduled to clash in the 1 1/8-mile Pegasus with Knicks Go, who is widely expected to be named the 2021 Horse of the Year later this month after capping his year with a 2 3/4-length triumph in the BC Classic (112 Beyer) under Joel Rosario. Besides the Jan. 29 card, which will include seven graded stakes, Ortiz also could miss Feb. 5, which features the Holy Bull, the first major Kentucky Derby prep of the year at Gulfstream. Ortiz had ridden less than two full programs at Gulfstream after serving a 30-day suspension stemming from a pair of riding infractions in early December at Aqueduct in New York. He won with a combined four of 12 mounts on the Jan. 6 and 7 cards. Ortiz, 29, is the three-time reigning Eclipse Award winner (2018-20) for outstanding jockey, and has dominated in recent winters at Gulfstream, including last year, when he set a track record with 140 winners at the 2020-21 championship meet. While Rushing remains up north with his family during the winter months, his nephew Jay Rushing tends to Ortiz’s day-to-day Gulfstream business here in south Florida. Meanwhile, jockey Tyler Gaffalione was back riding Wednesday at Gulfstream after missing three cards (Jan. 7-9) with an unspecified illness. Gaffalione has earned numerous riding titles here and in Kentucky since 2015.