Irad Ortiz Jr. led the nation in wins and earnings for the third straight year in 2020 and took home his third consecutive Eclipse Award Jan. 28.
Only Jerry Bailey, Ramon Dominguez, and Javier Castellano have achieved this honor in three or more consecutive years since the Eclipse Awards began in 1971.
In a season fraught with pandemic-related cancellations and delays, 28-year-old Ortiz rode just 1,266 mounts, the fewest since his apprentice season in 2011. He came nowhere near his record-setting 2019, when he became the first jockey to surpass the $30 million mark with earnings of $34,109,019. Still, he ended 2020 with 300 wins and earnings of $21,050,726, more than $2.8 million ahead of Joel Rosario, the runner-up by earnings and a fellow finalist along with John Velazquez.
Starting his year with a victory aboard Mucho Gusto in the Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes Presented by Runhappy (G1), Ortiz won 27 graded stakes, seven of them grade 1 events. Top mounts included Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1) winner Whitmore and Whitney Stakes (G1) winner Improbable.
"Last year we had a good year, but there were a lot of things going on, honestly," the native of Puerto Rico said. "I lost my grandfather; 2020 was sad for everyone. …Hopefully, we can start the New Year and forget everything that was bad last year and get going with a regular life."
Crispin Takes Apprentice Title
Alexander Crispin took home the 2020 Eclipse Award for outstanding apprentice jockey, capping off a first year of riding that ended with a 103-73-77 record from 539 races. His mounts last year earned $2,194,030.
Other finalists were Luis Cardenas and Yarmarie Correa.
Crispin graduated from Puerto Rico's Escuela Vocacional Hipica in December 2019 and made his race debut Jan. 1, 2020 at Hipodromo Camarero. Last March he began riding at Turfway Park, where he scored his first win March 12 on Thorpe d'Oro. Crispin rode at Delaware Park for the summer and in late October began riding at Laurel Park.
"Everything started in middle school where I first saw a horse race. For some reason I had that connection and that desire to find out more information about what horse racing is," Crispin told Laurel media. "As soon as I found out and saw horse racing with my own eyes, I had that feeling that this is what I want. This is what I want for my future."
Maryland-based riders have won 11 of the previous 46 Eclipse Awards for outstanding apprentice, according to Laurel media, with Weston Hamilton taking the honor in 2018.
Leading up to the Jan. 28 announcement of Eclipse Award winners, Crispin said: "That's something that every apprentice and every jockey would like to win. I would be happy to know that I did my best and worked hard, and I would be satisfied."
