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.
New York-Based Gomez Earns Apprentice Jockey Eclipse
Jose Antonio Gomez made his debut in June 2021 at Monmouth Park. And while he didn't pick up his first win until more than four months later, Gomez's career has been on the rise ever since. Now that rise includes Eclipse Award-winning apprentice jockey.
As 2022 progressed, Gomez found himself in the irons for five graded stakes: the $250,000 Remsen Stakes (G2), the $150,000 Pebbles Stakes (G3T), $150,000 Matron Stakes (G3T), the $300,000 Long Island Stakes (G3T), and the $150,000 Knickerbocker Stakes (G3T) in which he finished fourth aboard Field Pass.
For the year, Gomez was ranked 41st with 152 wins, capturing 12% of his races. He was also 28th in earnings at $7,635,366.
Gomez ended the year as the leading apprentice jockey and ninth overall on the New York Racing Association circuit, where he raced 917 of his 1,312 races. In those, he compiled a 98-95-117 mark with $5,803,684 in earnings.
"It all came by surprise. I didn't expect to start out here in New York," said Gomez. "I'm thankful for all the trainers, everybody who is a part of the team, and all the people who taught me and gave me a chance to learn even before I started riding."
