Felix L. Ortiz

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Felix Ortiz
Occupation	Jockey
Born	April 28, 1971 Puerto Rico
Major racing wins
Jersey Derby (1998) New Jersey Futurity (2000) Maryland Million Nursery (2000) Endeavour Breeders' Cup Stakes (2001) Manatee Stakes (2001) Open Mind Handicap (2004) New Jersey Breeder's Handicap (2008)
Significant horses
Awad, Who Did It and Run

Felix Luis Ortiz (born April 28, 1971 in Puerto Rico) is a jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing. He learned to ride in his native Puerto Rico, attending the El Commandante Jockey School. He currently rides for the New Jersey and Florida racing circuit.

Riding career

Ortiz was the leading rider at Garden State Park in 1997 and the following year he rode Who Did It and Run to become the first filly to win the Jersey Derby. He rode multiple Grade 1 winner Awad in 1996 in the Caesars International at Atlantic City Race Course which is currently the United Nations Stakes at Monmouth Park. He won a division of the 2000 New Jersey Futurity atop Lyle Lovesit and that same year he won the Maryland Million Nursery atop T P Louie at Laurel Park Racecourse. At Tampa Bay Downs in 2001 he rode Cybil to win the Endeavour Breeders' Cup Stakes and won the Manatee Stakes atop Silver Stockings . In 2004 he captured the Open Mind Handicap atop Whoop’s Ah Daisy at Monmouth Park. In the 2008 season at Monmouth he won the New Jersey Breeder's Handicap atop Flirtatious Smile.

Television appearances

Ortiz made an appearance in the hit television show Law & Order in 2005. The episode was entitled "The Sport of Kings". In the episode, a jockey's murder leads to an investigation that eventually leads detectives to a businessman who is accused of stealing from his own company's pension fund to purchase personal luxury items for himself. The air date of the episode was May 4, 2005. Ortiz can be seen throughout the episode and the directors used actual footage of him winning races in real life.

Recently, Ortiz was involved in the filming of the movie, The Bounty Hunter, starring Jennifer Aniston and Gerard Butler. The movie is about a man who is a bounty hunter who learns his ex-wife is his next target. The movie is due to come out on March 19, 2010. Ortiz was a handful of jockeys used in the film. Filming took place at Monmouth Park Racetrack in Oceanport, New Jersey.

References

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