Equibase Leaders: Irad Ortiz Jr. approaching single-season winnings record

Thanksgiving week not only brought holiday cheer, but also a series of strong deployments from coast to coast. Of the 151^st Hosting the historic Clark Stakes presented by Norton Healthcare to major qualifiers at the Road to the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks (all at Churchill Downs) plus a stellar finale to the Bing Crosby Meet at Del Mar, the week offered no shortage of headline performances. The results of these races influenced the highest winning scores for horses in various divisions, as shown in the table Equibasis – and in the jockey standings the division leader came closer to breaking his own record for annual earnings set two years ago.

In 2023, Irad Ortiz Jr. established a North American single-season earnings record for a jockey with $39,193,365. In 2025, he is on track to surpass that milestone again. Currently, he is just $78,286 below his record with $39,115,079 in earnings. Last week, Ortiz Jr. simply brilliant, leading all North American jockeys with 16 wins from 53 mounts (30%) and $1,779,481 in earnings. Six of those wins came in stakes races. With less than a month to go in 2025, he has an almost $1 million lead over Flavien Prat in the winning race.

The graded stakes results were highlighted at the Clark Stakes Friday at Churchill, which produced a sensational stretch run between top three finishers Magnitude, Hit Show and Chunk of Gold. Magnitude, a top contender on the Kentucky Derby trail earlier this year for trainer Steve Asmussen, continued to shine during his sophomore season despite a nearly five-month layoff due to injury. Since returning in July, the son of Not This Time has been exceptional, dominating the Iowa Derby by 9 ¼ lengths, finishing third in the Grade 1 DraftKings Travers Stakes and finishing second in the Grade 1 Pennsylvania Derby.

After a brief reset after that effort, Magnitude returned with another strong performance on Friday, winning the Clark by half a length and earning a career-best 114 Equibase Speed ​​Figure. The win pushed him past the $1 million mark in 2025 earnings, now at $1,148,200 for the year, and moved him up 27 places on the Equibase all-horse rankings to 32.^i.e. He also moved into the top 10 among the three-year-old males, now ninth in the division.

Saturday in Churchill, the Stars of Tomorrow II card featured several notable youth performances. The Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes, which offered 10 qualifying points for next spring’s Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve, revolved around Further Ado, who entered the race after a brilliant maiden win by 20 lengths. The 2-year-old Gun Runner colt confirmed the hype at the Kentucky Jockey Club, making it clear to win by 1 ¾ lengths for trainer Brad Cox with Irad Ortiz Jr. on board. That was one of five wins the duo shared on Saturday’s card, sending both to the Fall Meet titles in Churchill. The Kentucky Jockey Club also marked Cox’s 500^e career win at Churchill Downs. With its first ranking score, Further Ado jumped to 10^e in Equibase’s 2-year men’s earnings rankings, now at $320,703.

One race later Saturday, Godolphin’s Bella Ballerina remained undefeated after two career starts with a half-length victory in the Golden Rod Stakes, a points preparation for the 2026 Longines Kentucky Oaks. Bella Ballerina moved up to 15^e in the 2-year-old filly division with $301,525 in earnings.

North American leader lists for horses, jockeys, trainers and owners are available at equibase.com and you can filter the data to view it based on a wide variety of categories, including age, gender, area and breed type.