“I didn’t have any family there, so that was the closest thing to family. McCarthy got a big embrace from Pletcher after the Preakness, a race his former boss has yet to win. “You’re always looking for someone to celebrate with and share the emotions and share the experience with, so when you’re there by yourself, it’s just one of those things,” McCarthy said this week. McCarthy FaceTimed with his wife and daughter but is relieved they’re with him in New York for the Belmont. Trainer Michael McCarthy got emotional after winning the Preakness with Rombauer in his first try in a Triple Crown race because his family wasn’t in Baltimore with him to enjoy the moment. Jose Ortiz, Mike Smith and Javier Castellano are among the possibilities.Īsked if he’d like to replace his brother in the Belmont, Jose Ortiz said, “Yeah, of course.” Pletcher said a decision on a replacement won’t be made until Saturday. He calls it “the toughest loss of my life.Irad Ortiz was scheduled to ride trainer Todd Pletcher’s Known Agenda in the Belmont, looking for his second victory in the Triple Crown race. Repole's closest near-miss was Stay Thirsty finishing second in 2011. And now, 15 years later, I’m still looking.' “I’ve probably said it 15 years ago when I had just entered the game and was winning claiming races that I’d rather win the Belmont than the Kentucky Derby. “There’s a hole in my resume, and it’s the Belmont Stakes,” Repole said. He and partners bought Overtook for $1 million in 2019 and hope he pulls off the upset. Mike Repole is worth a billion dollars and has won two Breeders' Cup races, but the New York native has never won his hometown Belmont Stakes. Any time you can get the respect of your peers on a day like that, it’s fantastic.”Įager to celebrate with someone Pletcher joked with reporters, “It would’ve been nice for you guys to bring some beers back there or something like that.” McCarthy FaceTimed with his wife and daughter but is relieved they're with him in New York for the Belmont. Trainer Michael McCarthy got emotional after winning the Preakness with Rombauer in his first try in a Triple Crown race because his family wasn't in Baltimore with him to enjoy the moment. Jose Ortiz, Mike Smith and Javier Castellano are among the possibilities.Īsked if he'd like to replace his brother in the Belmont, Jose Ortiz said, “Yeah, of course.” Irad Ortiz was scheduled to ride trainer Todd Pletcher's Known Agenda in the Belmont, looking for his second victory in the Triple Crown race. 'As long as he was talking and was conscious and could feel his legs and arms, I was relieved.” “Relieved as soon as I would run down there and he said he was fine,” Jose Ortiz said. He was moving his extremities and talking to medical personnel and others on the track moments after the fall. Irad Ortiz underwent a CT scan, though it was not immediately clear if he suffered a head injury beyond the cut that required stitches.

Irad ortiz