Jose Ortiz

José L. Ortiz (born October 2, 1993) is a Puerto Rican jockey who has been a rider on the New York Thoroughbred horse racing circuit since 2012. As the jockey for Golden Tempo, he won the 2026 Kentucky Derby and 2026 Belmont Stakes. In 2016, he was the leading jockey in North America by number of wins, including his first win at the Breeders' Cup. In 2017, he earned the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey after he led the earnings list and won his first Triple Crown race, the 2017 Belmont Stakes. In 2019 and 2026 he won the Kentucky Oaks. In 2022, he won the Preakness Stakes, his second Triple Crown race win. In 2026, he rode Golden Tempo in the Kentucky Derby, his third Triple Crown win.

Personal life Ortiz was born in Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico, the son of Irad Ortiz and Vilma Morales Adorno. The two had a daughter, Leilani, in June 2017.

Career Ortiz recorded his first win in Puerto Rico on January 7, 2012, at Hipodromo Camarero. Soon thereafter he moved to the U.S., where he recorded his first American win on March 13 at Parx Casino and Racing. and finished the year with 98 wins from 697 starts.

In 2013, he won 224 races including his first Grade I victory in the Hopeful Stakes with Strong Mandate. He went on to win the Saratoga riding title with 65 wins. In November, Ortiz won his first Breeders' Cup race, the Juvenile Turf, aboard Oscar Performance. Ortiz went on to win his first New York Racing Association (NYRA) year-end title with 319 wins at Aqueduct, Belmont Park and Saratoga over the course of 2016. He finished 2016 in as the leading jockey in North America by number of wins He won the Breeders' Cup Juvenile aboard Good Magic and finished the year as the leading jockey in the United States by earnings. He was voted the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey. Ortiz rode Good Magic to a second-place finish in the 2018 Kentucky Derby. In 2026, he won his second Kentucky Oaks with Always a Runner followed by his first Kentucky Derby on Golden Tempo.

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