Irad Ortiz Jr. joins superstars in Keeneland jockeys' room

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Joel Rosario and Luis Saez dominated the first two cards of the Keeneland spring meet that opened last weekend, but they’ll have to make room for another superstar in the jockeys’ room – at least for this week.

Irad Ortiz Jr., fresh from a six-win Saturday at Aqueduct, will ride Wednesday through Sunday at Keeneland in what is expected to be his only action here during a 15-day meet that runs through April 23. Ortiz will return to the state at some point late this month for Kentucky Derby week at Churchill Downs in Louisville, according to agent Steve Rushing.

Ortiz, the three-time reigning Eclipse champion jockey, set a record for most winners (140) at the recently ended Gulfstream Park championship meet. He leads all jockeys in 2021 in wins (130) and earnings ($6.18 million), excluding overseas statistics.

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Ortiz’s stakes mounts this coming weekend include Raging Bull for Chad Brown in the Grade 1 Maker’s Mark Mile on Friday; Tamahere for Brown in the Grade 1 Jenny Wiley on Saturday; and Swiftsure for Steve Asmussen in the Grade 3 Lexington, also Saturday.

Meanwhile, it could be quite some time before a jockey replicates what Rosario accomplished here opening weekend. Remarkably, he won six of the nine stakes, including the Grade 1 Ashland on Malathaat and the Grade 1 Madison on Kimari. Rosario, who set an all-time single-meet Keeneland record by riding 38 winners at the 2013 spring meet, won just one non-stakes race, that being a dead-heat triumph in the fourth race Saturday aboard Enjoyitwhilewecan.

Saez, who only the previous weekend won the $12 million Dubai World Cup on Mystic Guide, also had a huge first two days. He helped keep the likely Kentucky Derby favorite, Essential Quality, unbeaten in five career starts, urging the colt to a hard-earned neck victory Saturday in the annual spring showcase, the Grade 2 Blue Grass Stakes. Saez also had five other winners, including Twenty Carat in the Grade 3 Beaumont on Friday and Jouster in the Grade 2 Appalachian on Saturday.