Who Is Irad Ortiz Jr.’s Brother Jose Ortiz? Unveiling the Rivalry and Friendship of Two Kentucky Derby Brothers

Irad Ortiz Jr. and Jose Ortiz have emerged as a dominant force in the equestrian circuit. Born in Puerto Rico, the duo have been training from a very early age. As the years passed, both the Ortiz brothers matured and have now transformed into a superpower in the sport. Irad Ortiz Jr. has won 3000 races till now. He has also won the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey five times. Having ridden some notable horses like Bar of Gold, Elite Power, Spun to Run, and Shamrock Rose, Ortiz Jr. is truly a force to be reckoned with. 

On the other hand, Jose Ortiz is no bunny either. Jose also boasts of more than 2000 career wins and has won the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey in 2017. Jose also clinched the United States Champion Jockey by earnings and the United States Jockey by wins in 2017 and 2016, respectively. Although the duo often squared off against each other, their on-field rivalry, coupled with their brotherly love for each other has mesmerized the equestrian community for a long time. 

Irad Ortiz Jr. and Jose Ortiz open up against each other 

Jose Ortiz and Irad Ortiz Jr. reflected on how competing with each other looks like. Speaking in a 2019 interview, Jose explained that inside the field, the battle is strictly professional. While Irad has his trainers and owners to cater to, Jose, too, has deliverables to deal with. However, the brothers also pointed out that while the competition might get intense at times, the brotherly love outside the field does not get affected even a bit. 

The fast-riding duo were then asked to shed some light on their future aspirations. While Irad dreamt about winning the Kentucky Derby, Jose cited traveling to Dubai as his unfulfilled dream. Following the progression of the interview, the brothers were asked a trick question next. How would Irad Ortiz Jr. feel if Jose beat him to win the Eclipse award? 

Well, the answer was heartwarming. Irad said, “Great. I mean, that would be good. If he won, I’m okay with that–you know, I’m happy for him. He deserves it, he works so hard. He’s always on the line. He does everything right, he does everything so perfect. You have to follow him if you want to be a nice man, you wanna be a nice person…He’s so perfect sometimes. Nobody’s perfect but, he’s very close, he’s very close to it…I helped him a lot from the beginning, and I want to see him on top, and he’s on top right now.” Meanwhile, as the duo continues to conquer the equestrian world, they also get into trouble and even got suspended. 

The time when Irad and Jose Ortiz were ‘careless’

While competing at the Saratoga in 2023, both Jose and Irad Ortiz Jr. served suspensions for a couple of days. They were accused of ‘careless’ riding that resulted in their horses blocking the paths of other ones. While Jose Ortiz fumbled during the 10th race, his brother, Irad did the same while running in the seventh race. 

Their actions resulted in Jose and Irad getting fined $40,000 and $25,000 respectively. However, both the jockeys managed to come out of the situation and continued on their merry way again. And now, come the Kentucky Derby, the Ortiz brothers are once again ready to mount on the saddle and take on the avatar of the ‘Brothers of Destruction.’