Positive Signs for Injured Rider Ortiz

Apprentice jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. remains in stable condition at North Shore University Hospital with a concussion sustained following a spill in Saturday’s tenth race at Belmont Park. He is awaiting an MRI of the head that is expected to occur today.

He is able to move all of his body parts, the preliminary baseline neurological tests are good, and doctors are optimistic about his condition, according to the NYRA jockey advocate.

In the race, a 1 1/16-mile maiden claimer on the Widener turf course, Ortiz, Jr. was aboard Freud’s Debut (No. 5), who stumbled and fell shortly after the start of the race, unseating his rider.

Ortiz, Jr., 18, won 75 races in his native Puerto Rico this year before coming to ride at Belmont Park, where he has two wins since the meet began in late April.

Freud’s Debut, a 3-year-old son of Freud trained by Mark Hennig, appeared uninjured in the spill.