IRAD ORTIZ JR at Keeneland - Photo: Madison Becker Agentes 305
One of North America’s most accomplished jockeys is ready to return.
Irad Ortiz Jr. will make his long-awaited comeback Friday, Oct. 2, on opening day of Keeneland’s Fall Meet, ending a 55-day absence caused by a left foot injury suffered during a frightening pre-race incident at Saratoga Race Course on Aug. 8.
Ortiz is named on seven mounts Friday, immediately putting the five-time Eclipse Award winner back into action on one of the biggest opening-day programs of the fall season.
His comeback closes a difficult chapter that ultimately proved more serious than initially reported.
The Accident at Saratoga
Ortiz was injured Aug. 8 while aboard And The Runner Is before a maiden race at Saratoga. The 2-year-old bolted during the warmup, and Ortiz’s left leg and foot were slammed against the outside rail.
He was forced to take off his remaining mounts that afternoon, including White Abarrio in the Whitney Stakes (G1).
Early medical reports provided some optimism. Initial X-rays were reported as negative, and later reporting indicated that X-rays and an MRI had not revealed structural damage. The injury was initially described primarily as significant swelling and soreness in Ortiz’s left foot.
Ortiz originally hoped to return within approximately two weeks.
That timetable proved far too optimistic.
An Attempted Return Was Abandoned
Ortiz targeted Aug. 22 for his return, but the discomfort persisted. After getting back aboard a horse in morning training, he determined that his foot was still too painful and that he was not ready to compete.
The decision kept him out for the remainder of the Saratoga meet and cost him several important mounts, including Renegade in the Travers Stakes (G1). Tyler Gaffalione ultimately replaced Ortiz aboard the Todd Pletcher trainee.
The extended absence also ended Ortiz’s opportunity to pursue another Saratoga riding championship. He had entered the 2026 meet having captured seven Saratoga riding titles, including the previous four consecutively.
As September progressed, however, signs of a comeback began to emerge. Agent Steve Rushing reported that Ortiz was improving and would begin breezing horses again, with the end of the Churchill Downs September meet or the beginning of Keeneland identified as possible return targets.
Ortiz Reveals Seven Small Fractures
This week, Ortiz revealed publicly that the injury had been considerably more serious than originally understood.
In a social-media post, Ortiz said he had suffered seven small fractures in his left foot and that surgery had been considered. According to Ortiz, undergoing the procedure could have effectively ended his 2026 racing season.
Instead, after consultation with his medical team, surgery was avoided and Ortiz continued his rehabilitation.
Ortiz thanked his family, doctors and friends for helping him through the recovery and said he is now ready to get back in the saddle.
The revelation helps explain why what initially appeared to be a relatively short absence stretched to nearly two months.
Seven Mounts Await at Keeneland
Ortiz will waste little time returning to high-level competition.
He is named on seven horses on Keeneland’s Friday card, including four for trainer Brad Cox, along with mounts for Wesley Ward, Bill Mott and Kinnon LaRose.
Two of those assignments come in graded stakes.
Ortiz will ride Nakatomi for trainer Wesley Ward in the $400,000 Stoll Keenon Ogden Phoenix Stakes (G2). The seven-year-old gelding is the defending champion of the race and will break from post 10. The Phoenix is also a Breeders’ Cup Challenge “Win and You’re In” event for the Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1).
One race later, Ortiz partners with Brad Cox aboard Monique En Vol in the $400,000 Jessamine Stakes (G2) on turf. That race offers an automatic berth into the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1).
His other Friday assignments include Virabhadrasana, Staged, Candeza, National Forest and Doctrine, according to the Keeneland entries.
A Familiar Place for the Comeback
Keeneland is a particularly fitting place for Ortiz to restart his season.
He has won three Keeneland riding titles, capturing the 2024 Spring Meet, the 2025 Fall Meet and the 2026 Spring Meet. He led all riders this spring with 22 victories and scored three stakes wins during the meeting, including the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (G1) aboard Further Ado and the Madison Stakes (G1) aboard Eclatant.
Ortiz also won 25 races at Keeneland last fall to capture that meeting’s riding championship.
Despite missing nearly two months, Ortiz has recorded 212 victories from 875 starts in 2026, with Grade 1 victories aboard horses including Renegade, Further Ado and Counting Stars.
Now the focus turns from rehabilitation back to competition.
Friday represents more than simply another opening day for Ortiz. After seven fractures, the possibility of surgery and 55 days without riding in a race, one of the sport’s premier jockeys will finally be back where he wanted to be — in the saddle at Keeneland, just four weeks before the Breeders’ Cup World Championships return to the Lexington track on Oct. 30-31.
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