Ortiz Injured in Gold Cup Incident

[Wandering Eyes]

Jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr., who was thrown from Mindframe (Constitution) shortly after the start of the GI Jockey Club Gold Cup Sunday at Saratoga, was sent to Albany Medical for evaluation. Release of the results of those tests were still pending Sunday evening.

“Mindframe seems to be okay,” owner Mike Repole said in a video posted to X after the race. “My biggest concern is Irad. I went out there to check on him. He's an incredible kid. He's in a lot of pain. Right forearm, maybe thumb. And his rib. A lot of pain on the left side on his rib.”

Ortiz was dislodged from his mount after Phileas Fogg (Astern {Aus}) veered inward at the start of the race, causing a chain reaction with the horses to his inside. After being knocked off Mindframe, Ortiz briefly ended up on the back of White Abarrio (Race Day) just to his outside before falling to the track. Flavien Prat, aboard trailing favorite Sierra Leone (Gun Runner) swerved in an attempt to avoid the fallen rider.

“I hope Irad is okay,” Chad Brown, trainer of Sierra Leone, said. “That's my main concern. Our horse is the one that went over the top of him and my concern is for him.”

The post Ortiz Injured in Gold Cup Incident appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

View the full article