Jose L. Ortiz added to his 2025 graded stakes victories with wins on Saturday in the Gr. I Test and the Gr. II Saratoga Special and a total of nine wins for the week. Ortiz has won 17 graded stakes so far in 2025 already surpassing his total of 13 graded stakes wins in all of 2024. The panel of racing experts voted Ortiz Jockey of the Week for July 28-August 3.
The weekly honor recognizes jockeys for significant riding accomplishments and who are members of the Jockeys' Guild, the organization which represents more than 1050 active, retired and permanently disabled jockeys in the U.S.
Ortiz began the racing week on Wednesday at his Saratoga base, posting wins in Race 3 for trainer Lindsay Schultz and Race 4 for dual Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse. During Thursday's card, Ortiz won Race 4 for trainer Anthony Dutrow.
On Friday, Ortiz took the early double with Race 1 for trainer Tom Amoss and Race 2 for Kenny McPeek.
On Saturday, Whitney Day, Mark Casse gave a leg up to Ortiz aboard two-year-old Ewing in the Gr. II Saratoga Special. Casse and Ortiz had a plan to let Ewing settle out of the gate and come with a late run. No one told Ewing, however, as he took Ortiz straight to the front after breaking last in the scratched-down field of four posting a length win in 1:18.03 for 6-1/2 furlongs over race favorite Obliteration and Flavien Prat.
"I felt I broke a step slow and my horse took the lead by himself so I was happy with that," said Ortiz to NYRA Publicity. "From the three-eighths pole to the wire I knew it was a match race (with Obliteration), so I let my horse go, I didn't wait for him."
Ortiz added a win in Race 7 for trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. before piloting Kilwin for trainer George (Rusty) Arnold in the 100th running of the Gr. I Test for three-year-old fillies at seven furlongs.
Kilwin broke last of eight after stumbling at the start and was still last midway on the turn before Ortiz angled her to the extreme outside entering the stretch. Kilwin charged down the center to overtake Ragtime with Junior Alvarado in the final strides posting a neck victory in 1:23.10.
To finish the week, Ortiz added a win on Sunday in Race 6 for trainer Anthony Dutrow.
Ortiz is in second place in the Saratoga jockey standings just behind his brother Irad. The race for leading jockey is expected to be close through the end of the meet on Labor Day. Ortiz will be riding at Saratoga this week with mounts in nearly every race.
Other contenders for Jockey of the Week were Junior Alvarado who won the Saratoga Derby Invitational (G1), Kendrick Carmouche who won the Fourstardave (G1), Juan J. Hernandez with a win in the Clement L. Hirsch (G1) at Del Mar and Flavien Prat who won the Whitney (G1).
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