Groups urge HISA and federal authorities to investigate Jose and Irad Ortiz, Jr. following explosive USA Today report about extreme violence against animals
Bethesda, Md.— Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy today called on horse racing authorities and federal prosecutors to take immediate action against acclaimed jockeys Jose Ortiz and Irad Ortiz, Jr. after a detailed USA Today investigation linked the brothers to illegal cockfighting activity in Puerto Rico. The letter to the Department of Justice can be found here, and the letter to the president of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority can be found here.
The report by investigative journalist Josh Peter detailed social media evidence allegedly showing the Ortiz brothers attending cockfighting events in Puerto Rico — conduct that constitutes a federal crime under the Animal Welfare Act. Video evidence places both men in the fighting pit, suggesting that they entered birds in the fight and participated directly in the staged battles, where the birds have long knives or gaffs strapped to their legs for cutting and stabbing.
The Ortiz brothers are in the limelight because the winner of the 2026 Kentucky Derby, Golden Tempo, was ridden by José Ortiz. The second-place horse, Renegade, was ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr.
“Cockfighting is a sadistic and cruel practice that inflicts slash wounds and stabbing injuries for the thrill of bloodletting and illegal gambling, and along with dogfighting, is the most severely and widely criminalized form of animal cruelty,” wrote Wayne Pacelle, president of Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy. “Participation in such conduct is fundamentally incompatible with the responsibilities expected of licensed jockeys and other racing professionals who have animal-care responsibilities.”
Pacelle added that participation in illegal animal fighting activities “threatens to compromise the jockeys given that organized crime interests orchestrated the illegal gambling at staged animal fights. The accruing of gambling debts has the potential to cause jockeys to rig their races.”
The controversy comes as Jose Ortiz is scheduled to ride Chip Honcho at Laurel Park in Maryland during Preakness weekend festivities tomorrow.
“Cockfighting is just as illegal in Puerto Rico as it is throughout the rest of the United States,” observed Pacelle. “The federal courts have upheld these prohibitions, and participation in staged animal fights is a felony crime.”
Congress has made animal fighting ventures illegal throughout the United States and its territories under Section 26 of the Animal Welfare Act, codified at 7 U.S.C. § 2156. Federal law prohibits knowingly sponsoring, exhibiting, attending, or otherwise participating in an animal fighting venture. In 2021, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit affirmed that Congress had validly outlawed cockfighting in Puerto Rico and throughout the United States and its territories, stating the law ‘is a valid exercise of Congress’s Commerce Clause power and does not violate plaintiffs’ individual rights.’
“Individuals entrusted with the care and stewardship of animals in professional horse racing should not be participating in acts of felony animal cruelty,” Pacelle said. “If you cannot be trusted to following the laws regarding staged animal fights, how can you be trusted to follow the laws related to horse racing and horse safety?”
Horse racing has endured doping scandals, gambling controversies, and catastrophic breakdowns in competition, and Pacelle noted that “the sport’s future depends on public confidence that those involved in the sport are committed to animal welfare, fair play, and integrity.”
The groups are specifically calling on HISA to establish a formal policy suspending jockeys and trainers implicated in documented animal cruelty crimes and to adopt explicit rules barring participation in animal fighting ventures because of their connection to illegal gambling and organized criminal activity.
Pacelle compared the situation to the NFL’s response to former quarterback Michael Vick’s involvement in dogfighting. “When it became known that Michael Vick was involved in dogfighting, his team and the NFL took action, as did law enforcement,” Pacelle wrote. “There is no moral distinction between dogfighting and cockfighting, and federal law treats them as equally serious crimes.”
Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy said there must be “zero tolerance” within professional horse racing for individuals connected to organized animal fighting enterprises.