Ortiz brothers set to serve suspensions

ELMONT, N.Y. – Jose Ortiz and his brother Irad Ortiz Jr. will both be serving three-day suspensions over the next 10 days.

Jose Ortiz will miss this Wednesday, Thursday and Friday after dropping an appeal of a suspension handed him for his ride on Hai Bobby in the seventh race at Saratoga on Aug. 28. Hai Bobby came over on a horse in midstretch, creating a chain reaction of bumping. Hai Bobby finished fourth and was disqualified to fifth.

Irad Ortiz Jr. will serve a three-day suspension beginning Oct. 2 for careless riding on Sterling Beauty in the stretch of the ninth race on Aug. 15. Ortiz guided Sterling Beauty off the rail in midstretch and cut off Cape Cod Diva. Sterling Beauty finished fourth and Cape Cod Diva finished eighth. There was neither a stewards’ inquiry nor a jockey’s objection and there was no change in the order of finish.