OCALA, FL (352today.com) – A pair of jockey brothers whose profiles recently rose significantly due to their first-and-second finishes in this year’s Kentucky Derby, and who both have Ocala connections, are back in the headlines this week for an entirely different and less celebratory reason.
José Ortiz, who rode Golden Tempo to victory at the Derby, and his brother, Irad Ortiz, Jr., who took second riding Renegade, have been accused of actively participating in cockfighting in Puerto Rico, a United States territory where the practice has been illegal since 2019, when it was determined the mid-’60s Animal Welfare Act was enforceable there.
Legality aside, cockfighting in Puerto Rico is an open secret, where many publicly defend it as a cultural tradition.
Nonprofit anti-cruelty and animal rights organization Animal Wellness Action issued a press release on Friday, May 15, 2026, accusing the brothers of the participation, which cited an investigative report by USA Today and included a link to a video post on social media platform X that shows two men who resemble the Ortiz brothers not only attending a cockfight, but also actively entering the “ring” in which the animals fight…