Frankie Dettori has been snubbed for Royal Ascot by US trainer Wesley Ward in favour of bad boy jockey Irad Ortiz Jr.
The 29-year-old has been presented with a golden opportunity to compete on equine torpedo Golden Pal, the current 2-1 favourite for the Group 1 King's Stand Stakes. The experienced trainer usually opts with the 51-year-old for events, but now Ward, the first American trainer to saddle a Royal Ascot winner in 2009, has put his faith in the red-hot Puerto Rican.
He said: "Irad is riding every one [of my horses]. Frankie is my man and I love him, but Irad is swinging right now in the States - he's the hottest rider in America.
"He's a great kid and rode Acapulco for me a few years back when she finished second in the Nunthorpe at York in 2015. He's won all over in America and he's just a phenomenal rider who rides with extreme patience. He's the man of the moment here in the States, that's for sure. He's put a lot of work in for me early in the mornings and he's so excited to get over to Ascot."
Ortiz has been a leading rider in the New York Thoroughbred horse racing circuit. He has been utterly dominant over the last decade, winning over 3000 races and won £200 million in prize money as a result.
However, Ward may be taking a risk with the jockey ahead of Ascot, as for all his talent, controversy is never far behind. In March 2021, Ortiz was fined over £700 after striking rival Paco Lopez in the face not once but three times after an intense race in Florida, where Lopez veered out on his mount rounding the bend.
Then last December, he was slapped with a rare 30-day ban after causing a rival jockey to fall off his horse. Apprentice jockey Omar Hernandez Moreno was flung from Ragtime Blues and thankfully avoided serious injury after Ortiz went into him with what has been described as 'reckless abandon'.
Ortiz crossed the line in second place on that day in Gran Casique, but was then disqualified by stewards, placing him last. In last month’s Kentucky Derby, Ortiz was fined once again, this time £400 for using his whip too aggressively on Mo Donegal.
Ortiz will certainly be one to watch as the prestigious race horse event this week, especially after securing victory at the Belmont Stakes in New York this past weekend.
