Irad Ortiz Jr is the 'phenomenal' 5ft 3 jockey worth 200million who punched rival, is despised by

Irad Ortiz Jr has made waves on the USA horse racing scene for years, and his success on the track has turned him into a multi-millionaire.

However, the 5ft 3 jockey from Puerto Rico has had quite a controversial career up until this point, but he is set to be in action at Royal Ascot this week.

Wesley Ward has picked the 29-year-old over Frankie Dettori to ride Golden Pal and all of his other horses.

However, there aren't too many more divisive figures in horseracing than the fiery Ortiz Jr.

He was destined to be a jockey given that his grandad and uncle were both involved in horse racing, while his brother Jose is also a jockey.

Irad was born in Puerto Rico and graduated from the Escuela Vocacional Hípica jockey school.

His dad Irad Sr was also involved in horse racing, but he failed to make the grade as a jockey despite competing in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Ohio.

So horse racing is in Irad Jr's blood, and the two brothers are extremely competitive, which is potentially one of the reasons why he has been so successful.

Jose Ortiz once said: “We’ve always competed, trying to beat each other.

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“It’s still fun. We’re still very close. We share the same corner in the jockey’s room in New York and when we get done racing, he usually stops by my house, just about every day.”

In his career, he has earned nearly £200million in prize money and won more than 3,000 races, so you can see why Ward wants him for Royal Ascot.

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."

However, for all his racing excellence, there is a dark side to Irad Ortiz Jr.

The Puerto Rican is known as an aggressive rider who often bumps into other horses to gain an advantage and ultimately help him win.

As a result of this, he is hated by most West Coast racing fans in the USA because they believe he doesn't race fair, and though Ortiz Jr often returns to the East Coast with a win, he hasn't gained a lot of supporters in that part of the world with his no-nonsense style.

So you have to wonder how that is going to go down over here and if the other jockeys potentially change their methods to cope with Ortiz Jr.

However, it isn't just US racing fans who aren't too keen on Ortiz Jr because last year, after winning a heated race at Gulfstream Park in Florida, the Puerto Rican punched fellow jockey Paco Lopez three times.

He was fined £821 for this attack, but he wasn't banned.

However, a ban followed soon after as, in December 2021, he was forced to stop racing for 30 days after being found guilty of causing another rider to fall from their horse.

Ortiz Jr slammed into Omar Hernandez Moreno, which sent him flying across the course, and he was fortunate to escape any serious injury.

So Ortiz will race hard at Royal Ascot and it seems he won't let anyone stand in his way on the track.

BeamVibe

Irad Ortiz Jr is the 'phenomenal' 5ft 3 jockey worth 200million who punched rival, is despised by

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