Jose Ortiz is heating up at just the right time. After a slow first half of 2020 due to a wrist injury and the COVID-19 pandemic, Ortiz will head into Saratoga – where he has won three of the last four riding titles – on a roll. At Belmont Park, which ended its 25-day meet Sunday, Ortiz won 14 races from his last 40 mounts to finish with 32 victories, two shy of his brother Irad, who won the meet title. :: Want to get your Past Performances for free? Click to learn more. On Saturday, Ortiz won his first Grade 1 stakes of the year by guiding the gutsy Guarana to a narrow victory in the Madison at Keeneland. For good measure, that same day Ortiz rode the 2-year-old colt Therideofalifetime to an 8 1/4-length maiden victory. “I think I’m in good shape going into Saratoga,” Ortiz said Sunday after he won the River Memories Stakes aboard Civil Union, capping a three-win closing-day at Belmont. “Let’s hope I can keep the momentum going.” Ortiz’s recent run of good fortune has come after six months of mostly unfortunate circumstances. In February, Ortiz suffered a broken wrist riding at Gulfstream Park, which cost him the mount on Tacitus for the $20 million Saudi Cup. While Tacitus only managed fifth in that race, he has since come back to win the Grade 2 Suburban under John Velazquez and is likely headed toward a Grade 1 stakes in Saratoga. Ortiz admitted to trying to rush back from the wrist injury to ride Independence Hall in the Grade 1 Florida Derby on March 28. He rode seven races in early March before deciding he wasn’t able to continue. “I wasn’t 100 percent – I wasn’t even 90 percent,” Ortiz said. “I didn’t feel it was fair for me or for the owners I ride for, so I decided to take off.” The injury, combined with the COVID-19 pandemic, which postponed or delayed the opening of some meets, resulted in Ortiz not riding for nearly three months. He resumed riding on May 16 at Churchill Downs and won 7 races from 58 mounts at the meet, including the Grade 3 Matt Winn aboard Maxfield. That victory fueled hopes that Ortiz would have a top prospect for the Kentucky Derby, rescheduled for Sept. 5. Two weeks later, Maxfield was injured in a workout and ruled out for the year. “It’s been a roller coaster,” Ortiz said. Ortiz is still in search of a 3-year-old for the Kentucky Derby. He is the regular rider of the nice 3-year-old Creed, on whom he’s won two straight races. While Ortiz would like to see the horse run in the Travers on Aug. 8, trainer Shug McGaughey said he’s not pointing to that race and does not plan to rush Creed toward the Kentucky Derby. More than likely, Creed will run in the Jim Dandy Stakes on Sept. 5 at Saratoga. “I’m very high on him,” Ortiz said. “I don’t think he’s going to go for the Travers, much as I want to.” :: To stay up to date, follow us on: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter McGaughey had a solid Belmont meet, winning eight races from 27 starters. Five of those wins were with Ortiz aboard. Over the last 18 months, Ortiz is 17 for 63 on McGaughey-trained runners, 5 for 14 in stakes, including Sunday’s win on Civil Union. “I have a lot of confidence in him,” McGaughey said. “I think he’s had a big meet here. He won a good race at Keeneland, and I’m going to say he’s going to go into Saratoga a pretty happy guy riding with a lot of confidence, and he’ll have a big meet up there.” While he was recovering from his injury, Ortiz enjoyed spending time with his wife, Taylor, and the couple’s two young children at their farm just north of Ocala, Fla. The farm was not too far from trainer Mark Casse’s training center. One morning, Ortiz went to visit Casse and watched a 2-year-old filly by Hard Spun work, training toward the Churchill Downs meet. “He looked at her and said ‘You really want to ride that one,’ ” Ortiz recalled Casse saying. “I said ‘Well, I’m going to be there,’ and luckily he put me on her and she was a monster.” That filly, Beautiful Memories, won her debut on May 28 by 10 lengths and figures to be one of the favorites in Thursday’s Grade 3, $100,000 Schuylerville Stakes at Saratoga. Ortiz, who won 60 races at Saratoga last summer, believes his brother Irad is the favorite to be leading rider at this meet. “I think Irad is going to have a big meet,” Ortiz said. “I won last year, but if we go to Vegas right now, he would be the favorite. I always do good up there for some reason, I always have a good meet. I’m going to work my butt off and try to bring the title home like I did last year, but there’s no doubt Irad would be the favorite.”