Jockey Jose Ortiz took off his mounts at Saratoga on Friday after a spill at the wire in the day's first race, but his agent indicated the rider could miss days from bruised ribs.
Same Old Fears, a 2-year-old Uncle Mo filly bred, owned and trained by Wesley Ward, was part of a pack of horses racing four abreast. Just as they were about to cross the wire the first-time starter veered out, clipped heels with 7-10 favorite Foxhole and tumbled head first at the line. Ortiz was pitched forward and somersaulted before he and the other horses left the screen on the pan shot provided by NYRA TV.
According to a Tweet from Keith McCalmont of NYRA, Ortiz got up after the spill, but was taken to Albany Medical Center for evaluation.
Acacia Clement later reported on the Saratoga Live broadcast that X-rays came back negative for any broken bones, citing Jose Ortiz's brother, Irad Ortiz Jr.
And Patrick McKenna, a spokesman for the New York Racing Association, tweeted late Friday that Jose Ortiz suffered bruised ribs and the timing of his return was "day to day," according to his agent Steve Rushing.
Stewards ruled that Ortiz remained on Same Old Fears, the lone filly in the race, through the wire. Thus, she officially finished fourth behind winner Billy the Greek. The race was a maiden special weight for 2-year-olds, originally carded ta 5 1/2 furlongs on grass but contested on a dirt track rated good.
According to the Equibase chart, Same Old Fears “came out and brushed with Foxhole near the sixteenth marker when headed for command, got corrected and came inwards 70 yards from home, bumping Anchises into Billy the Greek, who rode through the tightness and bumping coming back out slightly to send a chain of bumps back outwards, forcing Anchises to steady and pushing Same Old Fears back out now in behind Foxhole, clipped heels with that rival and fell heavily directly over the finish line, the rider coming out of the saddle only after the finish, then was subsequently vanned off.”
Ortiz's mounts on Friday included a call on Perform in the Curlin Stakes; John Velazquez has picked up that mount according to the changes published on Equibase. Ortiz is named on 11 horses at Saratoga on Saturday, including Poppy Flower in the Caress..
