On Saturday, August 8, 2026, Irad Ortiz Jr. sustained a left ankle injury prior to the eighth race at Saratoga Race Course and was subsequently transported to Saratoga Hospital for assessment. The incident occurred when ‘And The Runner Is,’ the horse he was meant to ride, became unruly ahead of the race. Following the injury, Ortiz was withdrawn from all remaining races on the day, including his ride on White Abarrio in the $1 million Whitney Stakes. As a precautionary measure, the horse was also scratched from Race 8. The New York Racing Association (NYRA) has confirmed that Ortiz will be sidelined for the rest of the event.
Event Context
Jockey Ortiz was scheduled to ride And The Runner Is, a horse trained by Mark Casse making its second start, in a maiden special weight race for 2-year-old fillies. However, the horse became unsettled before the race began, leading to Ortiz sustaining a roll of his left ankle during the commotion.
Irad Ortiz Jr. injury: What happened before Saratoga Race 8?
David Grening, a reporter for Daily Racing Form, shared via X that Irad Ortiz Jr. was transported to Saratoga Hospital for evaluation of an injury. The full extent of the injury is currently unknown.
As a result of the incident, The Runner Is was scratched from the race. Ortiz had previously ridden the horse to a second-place finish at Saratoga on July 12 for trainer Mark Casse.
Due to his injury, Ortiz was unable to ride White Abarrio in the Whitney Stakes, a race for which he was originally scheduled; Ortiz had guided the horse to victory in the previous year’s edition. Micah Husbands has been assigned as his replacement for the $1 million Grade 1 race on Saturday.
Additionally, Ortiz was set to ride Rhetorical in the $750,000 Fourstardave Stakes, but Manny Franco will take over that mount as well.
Other mounts Ortiz was scheduled to ride have also been reassigned. Luis Saez has taken over his rides in Races 13 and 14, with replacements made for earlier races on the card.
This incident occurred during one of Saratoga’s premier racing days, where Ortiz was lined up for several significant races. As of now, the immediate update is that he has been taken to the hospital for evaluation, with further details regarding the severity of his ankle injury yet to be determined.
