Knee injury sidelines jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. for weekend
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Irad Ortiz Jr. has taken off all mounts Saturday and Sunday at Gulfstream Park with a sore knee, a minor injury the star jockey suffered Friday in a starting-gate mishap. It is not expected to sideline him beyond this weekend.
His agent, Steve Rushing, said Saturday morning that Ortiz definitely intends to be back riding when Gulfstream resumes action Wednesday.
Ortiz, the reigning three-time Eclipse Award-winning jockey in North America, banged his knee in the starting gate when his scheduled mount, Shea On a Mission, became very fractious prior to the start of the eighth race Friday. Shea On a Mission was scratched, and Ortiz took off his last two mounts of the day.
Ortiz, 29, only returned to action here Thursday after serving a 30-day suspension stemming from a pair of riding infractions at Aqueduct in early December. He won with two of five mounts Thursday, then with two of seven Friday prior to the gate accident.
Ortiz was named in 10 of 11 races Saturday, including Value Proposition, one of the favorites in the featured Tropical Turf Stakes. He was named on eight mounts Sunday and is named on eight mounts Wednesday.
Also Saturday, Tyler Gaffalione took off all his Gulfstream mounts for a second straight day because of an unspecified illness.