Jockeys Santana, Irad Ortiz, fined

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – The stewards fined jockeys Ricardo Santana Jr. and Irad Ortiz Jr. $2,000 each for careless riding in separate incidents on Thursday’s card.

Though the fines were the same, the stewards’ rulings were not.

In race 5, Ortiz rode Brimstone to a three-quarter-length victory over Imperatore. Ortiz drifted out several paths, carrying Top of the Page out with him. Top of the Page, ridden by Jose Ortiz, Irad’s brother, was beaten a half-length for second.

The stewards posted the inquiry sign but ultimately did not make a change.

“That horse wasn’t going to beat him,” Carmine Donofrio, the steward this meet for the New York State Gaming Commission said. “He had every opportunity. We felt that didn’t cost him a placing.”

On Friday morning, Jose Ortiz said he felt his horse hung late.

In race 10, Santana was aboard Super Simple, who finished first by a nose over Guacamole. Super Simple came out a few paths in part to get out of the way of the tiring pacesetter Quiet Company.

John Velazquez, on Guacamole, owned by Mike Repole and trained by Todd Pletcher, claimed foul, and the stewards disqualified Super Simple, trained by Steve Asmussen for Ron Winchell.

Donofrio said that the margin of victory being a nose played a role in the decision to make the disqualification.

“Johnny could have held him, but he let him out and [Santana] kept carrying him out,” Donofrio said.

Asmussen has now had a horse disqualified at three consecutive Saratoga meets.

‘I obviously don’t agree, Johnny initiated the contact,” said Asmussen, who also said that he believes had Quiet Company – who finished third – held on to win, the stewards would have disqualified him for drifting out and placed Super Simple first.

Coincidentally, Asmussen, Santana, and Ron Winchell won Friday’s first race with the 2-year-old New York-bred Bankit. No inquiry was involved.