BREEDERS' CUP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

October 31, 2026

Jose Ortiz

KathynMarissa- Nitrogen

Keeneland Race Course

Filly & Mare Turf - Distaff

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Joined by jockey Jose Ortiz as we catch up with wins earlier on the card today. Obviously a little dirty coming out of The Classic, but we'll get to the winners here from earlier.

We'll start with KathynMarissa in the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf for Chad Brown. We had Chad in here, and he said you know her so well. It seemed like the perfect setup trip. Kind of take us through the race and down the stretch.

JOSE ORTIZ: She broke great which helped me a lot. She got a tendency of breaking a bit slow. Today she was very alert out of the doors and put herself in very good position. I was very happy with that.

When I grabbed my position, I kept it as long as I could. When we hit the 3/8 post she kind of was not giving me as much as I wanted at that point, but I kept working on her. When she went to clear in the top of the lane she responded very well.

THE MODERATOR: Chad had mentioned she took a little bit of riding. It seemed like you had to kind of get after her a little bit, which he was kind of a surprise, but when you got her clear he thought you'd be able to run them down.

JOSE ORTIZ: Yeah, also the ground is softer, little chopped up from the race yesterday, and I think the horses were -- it was a little bit harder to grab at -- get a good grab, whatever, and I think she was missing a couple steps.

Then she recovered finally at the top of the lane and gave me that run.

THE MODERATOR: Gimme a Nother had the head start and got that trip around on the rail to catch her late. She certainly really finished up well and drew away at the end.

JOSE ORTIZ: Yeah, yeah, very good ride by Johnny on the inside. I thought when he got through, he could win the race because that's a very nice mare as well. Motion does a great job with his horses. I was expecting when he got through, he was going to drew away, but she didn't. I was very happy to see that.

THE MODERATOR: Let's get to Distaff and the win with Nitrogen. We had a very happy Mark Casse in here and John Green of D.J. Stable. Take us through the Distaff because she didn't break sharply, which has been kind of a tendency for her.

JOSE ORTIZ: She does break very early sometimes. Sometimes she missed a step. Today was one of those days she misses a step. It was perfect. I was able to put her in a great position. She relaxed going into the first turn. She gave me her mouth. I was very happy, put my hands down, and she was traveling well behind them. I was very happy to see that.

When it was time to go, right on the 3/8 pole, and she took care of business.

THE MODERATOR: She has a tendency down the stretch to kind of go in --

JOSE ORTIZ: She drift off a little bit.

THE MODERATOR: Were you concerned that she was going to interfere at all or that she gives up some ground by doing that?

JOSE ORTIZ: Not really. When I asked her to go, she responded really well. I knew I opened up a length or two there, and if she wanted to drift a little bit, I was going to let her because I didn't want to fight her at that point.

She was running. Yeah, she's amazing. We are very blessed to be working with a mare like her.

THE MODERATOR: And the great news is that --

JOSE ORTIZ: She's coming back next year.

THE MODERATOR: I can see that smile. That's great. It's great for everybody. You as the rider and of course the whole team. But for fans as well to be able to get behind a horse and some longevity.

JOSE ORTIZ: Yeah, it's awesome. Hat off to the Greens to keep her in training. Such a valuable -- she got a lot of value. To keep her in training, I think, is amazing for the sport. Yeah, very happy to be part of that team, and I'll be thankful with them and with Mark and the team behind the horse that they work so hard every day.

THE MODERATOR: We look forward to seeing her next year, and we appreciate you taking the time to come see us. Congratulations on another successful Breeders' Cup.