Irad Ortiz Jr. led all jockeys by wins (396) and earnings ($27,727,039) in 2018 and Eclipse Award voters took notice, awarding the 26-year-old native of Puerto Rico leading jockey.
Based in New York, Ortiz Jr. earned his first Eclipse Award. His brother, Jose, was named leading jockey in 2017.
Ortiz Jr. won titles at Aqueduct, Belmont Park and Saratoga and major races across the country. He guided Breeders’ Cup winners Newspaperofrecord (Juvenile Fillies Turf) and Shamrock Rose (Filly & Mare Sprint) and received the 2018 Shoemaker Award for leading rider in the Breeders’ Cup.
Other notable mounts included Diversify, Fourstarcrook and Robert Bruce.
| JOCKEY | FIRST-PLACE VOTES | |
| IRAD ORTIZ JR. | 173 | |
| Mike Smith | 40 | |
| Jose Ortiz | 25 | |
| Joel Rosario | 8 | |
| Florent Geroux | 1 | |
| Javier Castellano | 1 | |
| Voter Abstentions | 1 |
