Irad Ortiz Jr.'s career has been one filled with superlatives. But what he accomplished in 2022 en route to being named the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey begs the question of what can he do to top this most memorable year?
For starters, Ortiz's earnings of $37,075,772 shattered his record set in 2019 ($34,109,019) for single-season earnings. In the process, he moved past Corey Nakatani, Laffit Pincay, Alex Solis, Gary Stevens, and Chris McCarron into the top 10 in all-time earnings.
What made Ortiz's year all the more impressive is he accomplished all that he did with his fewest starts (1,362) in a year since 2012 with the exception of 2020, which was the year the COVID-19 pandemic broke out.
His 325 wins were the third-most of his career behind 2018 and 2021. His $27,222 per start was also a career best. His winning percentage matched that of 2020 when he won 24%.
The year also included major wins: the Belmont Stakes (G1) on Mo Donegal , the Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1) on Elite Power , the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1) on Goodnight Olive, and the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) aboard Forte .
Ortiz's Eclipse honor is his fourth, following a three-year string from 2018-20. Ortiz is tied with Javier Castellano and Pat Day for third-most Eclipse Awards.
