Irad Ortiz, Jr.
Grade 2 $500,000 Penn Mile Stakes
Penn National, June 3
Chris Lorieul (assistant trainer, Frostmourne, 1st)
“He is much more mature now, both physically and mentally. As a two-year-old he would get kind of keen, but now he is very professional.”
Irad Ortiz, Jr. (jockey, Frostmourne, 1st)
“He has been working so beautifully. Last year he could be rank, but now he has settled down.”
Grade 3 $200,000 Pennine Ridge Stakes
Belmont Park, June 3
Brian Lynch (trainer, Oscar Performance, 1st)
“I’m thrilled to see him back in action. You’re always worried about being a one-trick pony as a two-year-old and the Juvenile Turf curse, but he had been training so solidly in between, I’ve just got to put it down to the soft turf courses in Kentucky. He certainly liked it today, he relaxed lovely. I think he got some relatively kind fractions that if he was back to his best, he was going to quicken off them and he did. I think he really finished nice. He was very comfortable, he saddled well, he handled everything. As a tw-year-old, he had the tendency to get a little bit hot, but he was calm and settled today. I thought he rated very kindly, and he had a really great turn of foot when he called on him.”
Jose Ortiz (jockey, Oscar Performance, 1st)
“He’s back. The last couple of races he was breaking bad and today he broke a little slow but I was able to get him going early a little better today. I’m glad where we were and I think the soft ground in Kentucky was hurting him. Thankfully, we got firm turf today and he showed up.”
