Irad Ortiz Jr. to ride Swiss Skydiver in Whitney

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Irad Ortiz Jr. will ride the champion filly Swiss Skydiver in next Saturday’s Grade 1, $1 million Whitney Stakes, trainer Ken McPeek confirmed.

Jose Ortiz was named to ride Swiss Skydiver in the Ogden Phipps, a race from which she was scratched due to a temperature. Jose Ortiz is committed to ride Maxfield in the Whitney.

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Entries for the Whitney, a Win and You’re In race for the Breeders’ Cup Classic, will be taken on Wednesday. The expected field, with riders, is: By My Standards (Gabriel Saez), Knicks Go (Joel Rosario), Maxfield (Jose Ortiz), Silver State (Ricardo Santana Jr.), and Swiss Skydiver (Irad Ortiz Jr.). Informative is possible, according to trainer Uriah St. Lewis, who has not yet booked a rider.