Ortiz positioned for another big day on Clasico del Caribe card

Irad Ortiz Jr. has amassed a worldwide fan base while establishing himself as an elite jockey since arriving to the U.S. from Puerto Rico in 2011, but the 26-year-old rider’s talent and success have never been more vocally celebrated than during the Clasico Internacional del Caribe at Gulfstream Park last December.

Ortiz Jr. was a frequent visitor to the winner’s circle, capturing three of the five stakes in the event that was held outside the Caribbean and Latin America for the first time. With each visit, his fans’ reception became more and more boisterous.

“That was great. Winning those races kind of races are very special to me because I grew up watching those races,” he said. “A lot of Latin people came here to watch the races. They are big fans. They know me and all the jockeys. They were calling my name. It was very exciting.”

Ortiz Jr. has mounts in all five races in Saturday’s $600,000 Clasico Internacional del Caribe, which will be hosted by Gulfstream Park for a second time. His two most high-profile mounts will be Kukulkan, Mexico’s Triple Crown champion who is undefeated in 13 starts, in the $300,000 Clasico del Caribe; and Jala Jala, last year’s Clasico del Caribe winner, in the $100,000 Copa Confraternidad del Caribe.

Jala Jala defeated the boys by nine-lengths in the Clasico del Caribe, a 1 1/8-mile stakes for 3-year-olds based in the Caribbean and Latin America. 

“That was big for me. Of all the races I watched in Puerto Rico, that race was very special to me,” Ortiz Jr. said. 

The Mexican-bred daughter of Point Determined will face males again this year in the Copa Confraternidad del Caribe, a 1 ¼-mile event for older horses based in the Caribbean and Latin America.

“She’s been doing it against the boys there again. She’s been winning,” Ortiz Jr. said. “She has a big heart. She’s a nice filly.”

Kukulkan, who is rated at 3-5 in the morning line, will provide his jockey with a solid chance for a repeat victory in the Clasico del Caribe.

“I galloped him (Thursday) morning. He felt good. He has a lot of class. It looks like he has a lot of talent,” Ortiz Jr. said. “He can do anything. He wins from off the pace; he wins close to the pace; and he wins on the lead.”

Ortiz Jr. also has mounts in the Copa Invitacional (Mishegas), the Copa Dama del Caribe (Kutzamala), and the Copa Velocidad (Tati). He also has mounts in five of the six open stakes for 2-year-olds on the Clasico Internacional del Caribe undercard on Saturday’s all stakes program with an 11:50 first-race post time.