The New York Racing Association announced Aug. 15 that Irad Ortiz is the recipient of the 2025 Mike Venezia Memorial Award.
Ortiz, based this summer at Saratoga Race Course and a five-time winner of the Eclipse Award as the nation's outstanding jockey, was chosen by a committee comprised of members of the Venezia family, representatives of The Jockeys' Guild and retired Eclipse Award-winning jockey Richard Migliore.
"Joining the list of winners of the Venezia Memorial Award is a great honor and very humbling," Ortiz said. "I look forward to thanking the Venezia family here at Saratoga, and sharing this with my family."
The Mike Venezia Memorial Award is presented annually to a jockey who displays the exemplary sportsmanship and citizenship that personified Venezia, who died as the result of injuries suffered in a spill in 1988. Venezia, a native of Brooklyn, N.Y., won more than 2,300 races during his 25-year career.
Ortiz will be presented with the Venezia Award during a ceremony at Saratoga Race Course on Friday, Aug. 22.
"Irad Ortiz Jr. is one of the most accomplished jockeys of his generation and a future Hall of Famer," said Terry Meyocks, president and chief executive officer of The Jockeys' Guild. "We're proud to congratulate Irad on this achievement, and thank the Venezia family and NYRA for continuing this tradition."
A native of Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico, the 33-year Ortiz grew up in a racing family. His grandfather, also named Irad Ortiz, and uncle Ivan Ortiz, were jockeys; and his younger brother, Jose Ortiz, is one of the nation's leading riders. Ortiz attended Puerto Rico's Escuela Vocacional Hípica, a school for prospective jockeys, and began his professional riding career at Hipódromo Camarero in Puerto Rico on New Year's Day, 2011. Later that year, he moved to New York and quickly established himself as one of the top riders on the NYRA circuit and throughout North America.
Riding Creator for owners WinStar Farm and Bobby Flay and Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen, Ortiz won his first Belmont Stakes (G1) in 2016. His second Belmont Stakes victory was in 2022 aboard Mo Donegal for Donegal Racing and Repole Stable and Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher. Among Ortiz's accomplishments are 20 wins in Breeders' Cup races, including victories in the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) in 2019 on Vino Rosso and 2023 on White Abarrio.
Ortiz earned the Eclipse Award as outstanding jockey in 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022, and 2023. The only other riders to be honored that often as outstanding jockey are Hall of Famers Laffit Pincay Jr., also with five awards; and Jerry Bailey, with seven. As of Aug. 14, Ortiz has racked up 4,274 wins and more than $358 million in earnings.
The Venezia Memorial Award is a 13-inch bronze sculpture with a title that reads, "The Jockey, A Champion." Ortiz joins a group of riders who have won the award previously, led by Venezia, who posthumously earned the inaugural award in 1989.
Past winners include Bill Shoemaker, Chris McCarron, Angel Cordero Jr., Jerry Bailey, Mike Smith, Pat Day, Laffit Pincay Jr., Robbie Davis, Eddie Maple, Gary Stevens, Jorge Chavez, Mike Luzzi, Dean Kutz, Richard Migliore, Patti Cooksey, Edgar Prado, Ramon Dominguez, John Velazquez, Jon Court, Mario Pino, Kendrick Carmouche, Joe Bravo, Javier Castellano, DeShawn Parker, Julien Leparoux, Junior Alvarado, and 2024 winner, Brian Hernandez Jr.
