Sports

NEW YORK — Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. is out of the Belmont Stakes after a scary fall while racing but seems to have escaped long-term injury.

Ortiz was thrown off a horse during a race Thursday at Belmont Park and then trampled by the horse being ridden by his younger brother Jose. Irad Ortiz was taken off the track on a stretcher and then to a local hospital before being released.

“I’ve spoken to some people who have spoken to him, so I know he’s OK,” trainer Todd Pletcher said Friday. “Hopefully he’ll be back in a couple of weeks.”

Jose Ortiz on Thursday night tweeted a photo of his older brother with a bandage around his left wrist and a message indicating Irad’s X-rays were negative and that he would be back in a couple of weeks.

Irad Ortiz underwent a CT scan, though it was not immediately clear if he suffered a head injury.

He was scheduled to ride Pletcher’s Known Agenda in the Belmont, looking for his second victory in the Triple Crown race.

Pletcher said a decision on a replacement won’t be made until Saturday. Jose Ortiz, Mike Smith and Javier Castellano are among the possibilities.

Articles You May Like

Strictly star says 50 hours of footage being ‘blocked’ which Giovanni Pernice ‘doesn’t want anyone to see’
SEC 2024 preview: Can UGA regain the top spot? How do Texas, OU stack up?
‘I have let everyone down’: Team GB athlete pulls out of Olympics after ‘error of judgement’
ZEEKR officially enters North America, launching 001 and X BEVs in Mexico
Surfer’s leg washes up after shark attack – and doctors work to reattach it