Irad Ortiz is sent to hospital after being unseated at Saratoga

Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. was unseated before the start of the fifth race at Saratoga on Thursday and was expected to be sent to a hospital for a precautionary X-ray of his left ankle and foot.

Keith McCalmont, director of communications for the New York Racing Association, reported the incident in an X post.

His mount, Ariana Rye, walked off under her own power, McCalmont said in a later post. The maiden special weight race would have been the third start for the 3-year-old filly, who was a late scratch and is trained by Robert Falcone Jr. 

McCalmont said in another post that in place of Ortiz, Jose Gomez would Miz Sense in race 7, Flavien Prat would ride Film Academy in race 8, Junior Alvarado had the mount on The Queens M G in race 9, and Javier Castellano would ride Six Minus in race 10, the Grade 2 Belmont Gold Cup.

Ortiz, a five-time Eclipse Award winner, has mounts in 13 other graded stakes Friday and Saturday at Saratoga, including on Mindframe in the Belmont Stakes for Todd Pletcher and White Abarrio in the Met Mile (G1).