John Alexander Ortiz

A native of Colombia, John Ortiz moved to the U.S. as a young child when his father, jockey Carlos Ortiz, relocated from his home country to ride in New York.

Ortiz began his own career in the horse industry at age 16 hotwalking for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott. He then gained experience working for other trainers and became Kellyn Gorder’s head assistant in 2011.

Ortiz started his own training career in 2016 at age 30 and picked up his first win at Turfway Park in December. He built his career mainly in Kentucky and Arkansas over the next several years, and won his first graded stakes when Zulu Alpha captured the 2019 Sycamore Stakes at Keeneland.

In 2022, Ortiz trained Barber Road, a colt who hit the board in all four of Oaklawn Park’s Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve preps. He accumulated enough qualifying points in those races (concluding with a runner-up finish in the Arkansas Derby) to secure a spot in the starting gate for Derby 148. A year later, Ortiz’s filly Brightwork won her first four races during spring and summer to emerge in the 2-year-old division, including the Adirondack Stakes and Spinaway Stakes at Saratoga.