The day trip to southern California proved rewarding for five-time Eclipse Award winner Irad Ortiz, Jr. He won two of the three prestigious graded stakes carded at Santa Anita on Memorial Day Monday, including the Gr. I Gamely and the Gr. II Hollywood Gold Cup. Recognizing the achievement, the panel of racing experts voted Ortiz Jr. Jockey of the Week for May 19-May 26.
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 United States.
After riding assignments at Belmont at the Big A on Friday, Saturday and Sunday and posting six wins, Ortiz was off to Santa Anita for their holiday Monday card.
East coast trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. gave a leg up to Ortiz aboard the Irish-bred Be Your Best in the Gr. I Gamely. After the scratches of Alpha Bella and Where's My Ring, Be Your Best went off at odds of 2-1. The five-year-old mare broke sharply and went straight to the front. At the top of the stretch, Be Your Best left her six rivals behind, drawing clear for a 2-3/4-length win in 1:46.26 for a mile and one-eighth on the grass for fillies and mares three-years-old and up.
"When we had both scratches, they were both speed (horses), so I talked to the trainer and he told me, 'Ride your race, let her be heard," said Ortiz to Santa Anita publicity. "I let her relax and let her be happy. When I turned for home, I still had something left in the tank."
About 30 minutes later, the same jockey/trainer duo added a hard-fought win with Skippylongstocking in the Gr. II Hollywood Gold Cup at a mile and a quarter. Off as the 4-5 favorite in the field of seven, Ortiz settled the six-year-old in fourth. Skippylongstocking took over at the top of the stretch but Midnight Mammoth with Armando Ayuso in the saddle, was not about to give up and battled down the stretch before Skippylongstocking prevailed by three-quarters of a length in 2:01.64.
"We were planning to stay back and not be on the lead," said Ortiz. "I was happy where he was and went on from there. The horse on the inside was fighting back and my horse was fighting as well."
Ortiz will be riding at Penn National on Friday and at Churchill Downs for their Stephen Foster Preview Day on Saturday. Ortiz will ride at Saratoga for the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival June 4-June 8.
Other contenders for Jockey of the Week were Junior Alvarado with two stakes wins including the Winning Colors (G3), Kizushi Kimura with two stakes wins at Santa Anita, Flavien Prat who won the Shoemaker Mile (G1) and Ramon A. Vazquez who won two stakes including the Steve Sexton Mile (G3).
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