Ken Ramsey captured his ninth owner title with 27 winners at the Hallandale Beach, Fla. track
- Gulfstream Park Press Office
- 11 hours ago
Gulfstream Park lowered the curtain on its 2023-2024 Championship Meet with an 11-race Easter Sunday program that saw jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. and trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. defend their respective titles at the prestigious winter stand.
Ortiz won twice Sunday on Invigorated ($19) in Race 7 and Miss Speedy ($19.20) in Race 9 to finish with 119 winners and top the rider standings for the fifth time in the past six seasons and second straight after leading the way with 128 in 2022-2023. Ortiz, who accepted his fifth Eclipse Award and second straight in January for 2023, also led Gulfstream in 2018-2019, 2019-2020 and 2020-2021, when he won a record 140 races.
Also tops with more than $5.9 million in purses earned, Ortiz won 13 stakes during the Championship Meet including graded triumphs in the Inside Information (G2), Suwannee River (G3), William L. McKnight (G3), Sweetest Chant (G3), Canadian Turf (G3), Honey Fox (G3) and Orchid (G3). The Orchid and Sand Springs were among five wins in Saturday’s Florida Derby (G1) program.
“It went very good for us. It means a lot to win another title here. They make me feel at home here,” Ortiz said. “The owners, everybody training here, the whole organization – security and the people who work here – they make me feel good. I have great support from the trainers and owners of Florida, and I appreciate it. I’m so happy to win another title here.”
