Forte jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. to still ride in Kentucky Derby 2023 — aboard Cyclone Mischief
LOUISVILLE, Ky. − Irad Ortiz Jr. still has a chance to win his first Kentucky Derby.
Not long after his original mount, 2023 Kentucky Derby favorite Forte, scratched about 10 hours before the race, Ortiz has found a new horse in Cyclone Mischief.
Cyclone Mischief had yet to have a confirmed jockey until Ortiz. Cyclone Mischief, one of three also-eligible horses, made the race after Practical Move scratched from the Derby due to an elevated temperature Thursday.
The 30-year-old jockey currently ranks first among North American jockeys this year in victories (150) and purse earnings ($11.2 million). He's 0 for 6 all-time in the Kentucky Derby, his best finish coming with Improbable, who was fourth in 2019. Ortiz won the Belmont Stakes twice (2016 and 2022) and has four Eclipse Awards.
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Five horses have scratched since Thursday, leaving the Derby with 18 contenders. Angel of Empire and Tapit Trice are co-favorites with 9-2 odds as of Saturday at 9:30 a.m. following Forte's scratch.