Top jockeys serving, appealing suspensions
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SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y – Jockey John Velazquez begins closing week serving a three-day careless-riding suspension for his Aug. 17 ride in the sixth race, where he was disqualified from first aboard Scope and placed second.
Velazquez began serving the days on Sunday and will miss Wednesday and Thursday.
Meanwhile, jockeys Irad Ortiz Jr. and Luis Saez have appealed suspensions handed to them by the stewards. It is not expected that those appeals will be heard by the time this meet ends, meaning Ortiz and Saez will have to serve their penalties at the beginning of the 2026 Saratoga meet if they’re upheld.
Ortiz was penalized for his ride aboard Treaty Obligation, who crossed the wire first by a neck over Unclecharliesgift in the third race Aug. 16. The stewards determined that Treaty Obligation interfered with Unclecharliesgift in the stretch. Treaty Obligation was disqualified from first and placed second.
Ortiz entered the week with 53 wins, one more than his brother, Jose Ortiz. The latter will spend the bulk of this week at Kentucky Downs, though he will be here to ride on closing day, which is Labor Day. Irad Ortiz will be at Kentucky Downs on Saturday but here for the rest of the week.
\Saez was penalized three days for his ride on Founders in the fifth race on Aug. 15. There, he was deemed to have interfered with Starship Titan, who was elevated from second to first.
Saez, the sixth-leading rider with 24 wins, also will spend the bulk of this week at Kentucky Downs.
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