Irad Ortiz will ride favorite in Arabian race at Churchill Downs

Five-time Eclipse Award-winning jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. will ride previous two-time Arabian winner of the prestigious Grade 1 UAE President Cup, Diamond Gem AA, at Churchill Downs on April 30.

Diamond Gem AA, a two-time Darley horse of the year, is one of the most dominant U.S.-based  Arabian runners of the last five years, with career earnings of $374,425 from 21 starts, and  seven career stakes victories.

This homebred gelding, sired by the Arabian stallion Burning Sand, is trained by Jerenesto Torrez,  who has achieved a remarkable four wins in the UAE President Cup in North America,  including the last three running’s of this Grade 1 event.

Diamond Gem AA is aiming for a historic third win in this Grade 1 race. He narrowly missed victory  in the U.S. Arabian racing classic in 2024, finishing a neck behind stablemate RB Malexis at  Gulfstream Park. With a win on April 30, Diamond Gem AA would join Paddys Day as the only  three-time winner of the Grade 1 contest.

The 2026 edition of the UAE President Cup also will set a record for an Arabian race on U.S. soil, with a purse of $400,000. This amount exceeds last year's record purse of $200,000, which  was contested at Pimlico on the Preakness undercard. This will be the eighth time that  Churchill Downs has hosted the UAE President Cup, and this year’s race will return to the classic  distance of 1 1/4 miles.

The nomination deadline for the UAE President Cup is set for April 16, with entries to be taken  on April 23.