Irad Ortiz Jr. and his agent, Steve Rushing, have made the right calls this spring on the Road to the Kentucky Derby.
On major race days when other lucrative riding opportunities offered alternatives, Rushing lined up mounts for the five-time Eclipse Award-winning rider on Fulleffort in the March 21 Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3) at Turfway Park, Renegade in the March 28 Arkansas Derby (G1) at Oaklawn Park, and Further Ado in the April 4 Blue Grass Stakes (G1) at Keeneland. Ortiz of course did the rest, guiding them to victories in these three high-value races.
In the days following the Blue Grass, Ortiz and Rushing next faced a choice between Renegade and Further Ado for the $5 million Kentucky Derby (G1) at Churchill Downs. They ultimately sided with Renegade, a decision that aligned with the colt's standing among most pundits. Renegade is the projected Derby favorite and sits atop the National Thoroughbred Racing Association Top 3-Year-Old Poll, conducted by national media. Commandment—whom Ortiz piloted to victory in the Feb. 28 Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2) before a subsequent Florida Derby (G1) score under Flavien Prat—ranks second, with Further Ado third.
Still, such distinctions offer no guarantees in a race that annually assembles as many as 20 of the top dirt 3-year-olds in training. Trip, traffic, and post position can impede equine talent.
Ortiz has experienced that reality firsthand. One of his best mounts in the Derby through the years, Mo Donegal , started slowly from the disadvantageous inside post in the 2022 race, and the late runner settled for fifth. Mo Donegal returned five weeks later to win the Belmont Stakes (G1), giving Ortiz a second victory in that race following his initial Triple Crown victory aboard Creator in the 2016 Belmont. He is 2-3-1 in 11 rides in the third and concluding race in the series.
The Derby is unfinished business. Ortiz is winless in nine mounts, with his best finish a fourth-place result aboard favored Improbable in 2019 when that colt was elevated from fifth after Maximum Security 's disqualification for interference, which demoted him from first to 17th. The rider's Triple Crown record also includes a 0-2-0 mark in seven mounts in the Preakness Stakes (G1), the second leg of the Triple Crown.
Ortiz consistently leans on Rushing's decisions, including this spring's pivotal Derby choice.
"I trust him. He's gonna try to do the best for us," Ortiz said from Keeneland, where he is the leading rider with two days remaining in the spring meet.
The calculus behind such choices extends beyond simple comparisons of records and forms. Relationships with trainers and owners, as well as prior commitments, can factor into a decision. In some cases, opportunities emerge only after earlier calls have already been made.
As for riding late-running Renegade in the Derby—and not Further Ado or another horse—Ortiz speaks in team terms and the role Rushing has played.
"We would love to ride all of them, but unfortunately we can ride only one," he said.
This year, Ortiz has maintained the form that has made him a perennial Eclipse Award contender, coming off a 2025 campaign that saw him surpass $40.5 million in mount earnings, a single-season record. He leads all jockeys in North America in 2026 by earnings, with his mounts making more than $9.8 million. Prat and Jose Ortiz—his brother and also represented by Rushing—are ahead of him if earnings from Dubai World Cup Day and Saudi Cup Day are counted.
Just this past week, Ortiz Jr. rode Alpine Princess to victory in the Doubledogdare Stakes (G2) at Keeneland and White Abarrio to an upset of Sovereignty and Journalism in the Oaklawn Handicap (G2) at Oaklawn Park.
Reflecting on the first four months of 2026, Ortiz said, "It's been amazing. Honestly, I've been enjoying it. We always work hard. That's what we do, but things don't go your way sometimes. This business is not easy, but we've been very fortunate to have success lately. We can't complain, thank God, and we just keep pushing forward. We have an amazing start. It's unbelievable. It's fun."
His chance at an elusive Derby comes aboard a colt with an imposing race record. Renegade showed promise at 2 while competing against top competition, including against then-leading prospect Paladin, and has progressed steadily this year into one of the division's standard-bearers. He is 2-for-2 in 2026, winning the Sam F. Davis Stakes Feb. 7 under Ortiz before repeating in the Arkansas Derby, a race he dominated by 4 lengths. Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher, a two-time Derby winner, trains the Into Mischief colt for Repole Stable and the colt's breeders, Robert and Lawana Low.
"We have a good chance. He's been very consistent," Ortiz said of Renegade. "This race is not easy—you have to face all the best 3-year-olds in the country. But he's in the mix; he's one of them. So, hopefully, we can have a good trip and go from here."
Sons of seven-time leading sire Into Mischief have won three runnings of the Derby, with Sovereignty being the most recent last year.
For all he has achieved—more than 4,500 victories, including 385 graded triumphs in North America—history offers perspective on the rider's pursuit of an elusive Derby.
Hall of Fame riders Alex Solis and Garrett Gomez never won the race, while others—including John Velazquez and Pat Day—waited years before breaking through. Velazquez, the only active rider of this group and a three-time Derby winner, has picked up the mount on Spendthrift Farm's Further Ado, trained by Brad Cox.
Among Ortiz's contemporaries, his brother Jose Ortiz and Luis Saez each have double-digit Derby attempts without a victory.
Asked if he had thought about what it might be like to win the historic race, Ortiz Jr. said he didn't want to allow his mind to go there. Best to keep blinkers on—eyes straight ahead on the task at hand.
"I don't like to think about that because, for me, it's a dream, and I just want to work until I get it, if I can," he said. "Whenever God blesses me with a win on that race, that will be amazing."
