Irad Ortiz Jr., who has won five Eclipse Awards as North America’s outstanding jockey and is the leading rider nationally of 2024 by wins and earnings, recorded his 4,000th career victory Sunday at Keeneland.
The milestone win came when he rode Mark Stanley’s favored Good Temper to a front-running victory in the day's first race.
A 2-year-old filly by Collected trained by Will Walden, Good Temper won the 1 1/16-mile race by 1¾ lengths. Her time on a fast track was 1:47.95.
Ortiz, 32, is the 85th jockey to win 4,000 races. His win total includes 95 victories in Puerto Rico, where he began riding in 2011.
Ortiz’ career accomplishments include Eclipse Awards from 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022, and 2023. He has won two runnings of the Belmont (G1) – with Mo Donegal (2022) and Creator (2016) – and 20 Breeders’ Cup World Championships races.
