Jose Ortiz and Irad Ortiz Jr., among the top jockeys in horse racing and brothers from Puerto Rico, dueled in a thrilling finish at the Kentucky Derby almost two weeks ago. Their Triple Crown run continues this weekend with potential scrutiny.
With the Ortiz brothers set to ride May 16 in the Preakness Stakes, photos found by USA Today Sports on social media appear to link Jose Ortiz, 32, and Irad Ortiz Jr, 33, to illegal cockfighting.
The discovery of the photos comes almost six months after a video posted on X appears to show Jose Ortiz and Irad Ortiz collecting money off the pit floor from the betting crowd in Club Gallistico de Naguabo, a cockfighting club in Puerto Rico. They are not the only prominent Puerto Rican athletes apparently involved in cockfighting.
Edwin Diaz, a three-time All-Star pitcher now with the Los Angeles Dodgers, is linked to cockfighting events in Puerto Rico based on photos found by USA Today Sports on social media. Diaz is pictured in a Dodgers uniform in a Facebook post dated Feb. 2 and a Facebook post dated Feb. 4 advertising cockfighting tournaments.
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Text in one of the ads, translated into English, reads, “The Puerto Rico Cockfighting Club invites all enthusiasts to a special match and a grand tribute to one of our island’s greatest sources of pride: A Tribute to the Puerto Rican Star and Cockfighter Edwin 'Sugar' DÃaz."
El Nuevo DÃa, the largest circulating newspaper in Puerto Rico, published a story March 10 with a photo showing Diaz standing in the pit of a cockfighting arena. Translated into English, the article quotes Diaz saying, "It’s a pastime I’ve followed since I was a child. It’s legal in Puerto Rico, thank God. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be here."
A federal ban on cockfighting in all 50 states and U.S. territories took effect in Puerto Rico in 2019. But cockfights continue on the island where authorities and residents have said the fights began 400 years ago and are culturally significant.
The maximum penalty for participants in a cockfight is five years in prison and a fine, and the maximum penalty for a spectator is one year in prison and a fine.
Jose Ortiz and Irad Ortiz did not respond to USA Today Sports requests for comment submitted by voicemail and text message with the brothers' agent, Steve Rushing.
Attempts by USA Today Sports to reach Diaz through the Dodgers and THE TEAM, an agency that represents Diaz, were unsuccessful.
Golden Tempo jockey Jose Ortiz, left, is congratulated by his brother, Irad Ortiz Jr., after the 152nd running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., on May 2.
Ortiz brothers advertised as participants in cockfighting tournament
In a photo posted to Facebook Jan. 14, 2025, Jose Ortiz and Irad Ortiz are holding what appear to be roosters while standing in the pit of a cockfighting arena in Puerto Rico. The Facebook page belongs to Oscar Calderon, who, based on information found on social media, is a cockfighter and breeder of fighting roosters known as gamecocks.
An ad posted on Facebook Dec. 17 that includes a photo of the Ortiz brothers is one of about a dozen in the same format identifying participants for a cockfighting event.
"Meet the Participants …," reads text above the photo of Jose Ortiz and Irad Ortiz. "Brothers Irad and José Luis Ortiz accepted the challenge of competing in the tournament of champions known as the 'Gran Campeón Caribeño' (Caribbean Grand Champion), with a single goal: to attempt to be crowned the undisputed champions.
"Although they distinguish themselves in the world of international horse racing — standing as the most successful pair of brothers in the field — they also harbor a passion for fighting cocks. For us, as an institution, it is an honor to have them competing in our coliseum."
A photo of Jose Ortiz and Irad Ortiz, wearing the same clothes as in the video that surfaced in November, shows them posing in front of Calderon, the cockfighter and breeder. The photo was posted on Calderon's Instagram page Jan. 15, 2024, with a location tag of Club Gallistico de Naguabo, the same facility in the video posted on X in November.
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Edwin Diaz (3) delivers to the plate as he earns a save in the ninth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Dodger Stadium on March 27 in Los Angeles.
Dodgers pitcher featured in cockfighting promotion
The two advertisements showing Diaz in a Dodgers uniform were posted on the Facebook page of Club Gallistico de Puerto Rico, a cockfighting club that filed a lawsuit against the U.S. government challenging the ban on cockfighting. The challenge failed, but the club has an active website with a calendar of upcoming cockfighting events.
An article in El Nuevo DÃa published March 10 includes a photo showing Diaz standing in the pit of a cockfighting arena. The caption of the photo reads: “Edwin 'Sugar' DÃaz took advantage of Puerto Rico's day off from the World Baseball Classic to unwind with one of his hobbies: cockfighting."
According to the article, Diaz was attending a multi-fight tournament during which his family entered four roosters.
An article published in January 2018 by Primera Hora, a newspaper in Puerto Rico, reported that Diaz fought five roosters at a cockfighting club in San Juan. The story also reported that MartÃn Maldonado, then a major league catcher with the Los Angeles Angels who has since retired, fought eight roosters.
In describing one fight, Primera Hora reported, "Suddenly, DÃaz's rooster took a 'knife wound' and fell to its knees, causing the fence judge to activate the one-minute count ..."
The rooster came back aggressively and won the fight, according to the article, which quoted Diaz saying, "My rooster went down dead and got up to fight, doing what my roosters know how to do: finish fights. He did what I do when I come in to pitch in the ninth: to close out the game."
Paintings of Diaz and Maldonado, with Diaz wearing a Mets jersey and Maldonado wearing an Astros jersey, are on a wall above cases holding roosters inside the Club Gallistico de Naguabo, a video posted on Facebook in 2024 shows.
Maldonado, who retired from MLB in 2025 after a 15-year career and represented Puerto Rico in the 2026 World Baseball Classic, joined the Atlanta Braves as a special assistant for major-league operations in December, reported Chandler Rome of The Athletic.
Diaz, a free agent after the 2025 season, joined the Dodgers after signing a three-year, $69 million contract. This season he had a 10.50 ERA in seven appearances before he ended up on the injured reserve list with an elbow injury. He is expected to return after the All-Star break in July.
Alexis Diaz, the younger brother of Edwin Diaz and a pitcher who spent four years with the Cincinnati Reds before ending up in the minor leagues this season, also apparently is linked to cockfighting. A post on the Club Gallistico de Puerto Rico Facebook page features a photo of Alexis Diaz and reports he was representing members of the Puerto Rico cockfighting arena in seeking to be crowned as undisputed champion of the Caribbean Grand Champion tournament.
In October 2024, WAPA-TV in Puerto Rico reported that Edwin Diaz and Alexis Diaz, along with Reggaeton singer Wisin, organized a charity event at the Puerto Rico Cockfighting Club in Isla Verde to benefit a child suffering from Duchenne muscular dystrophy. The report did not specify if the event included cockfighting.
A 2024 Facebook post advertising a cockfighting event includes a photo of Edwin Diaz wearing a Mets jersey and Alexis Diaz wearing a Reds jersey.
An April 4 post on Facebook states during fights that day at Club GallÃstico de Puerto Rico a rooster belonging Alexis Diaz died and a rooster belonging to Edwin Diaz won. Alexis Diaz also appears in a video on Facebook before a cockfight scheduled for January. Near the end of the video, Alexis Diaz's name was included among the participants in a list of matchups for the Gran Campeon Caribeno tournament on Jan. 27.
Currently, Alexis Diaz plays for the Round Rock Express, the Texas Rangers' Triple-A Pacific Coast League affiliate.
Rylan Kobre, who handles public relations for the Round Rock Express, referred USA Today Sports to the Texas Rangers. The Rangers did not reply to an email USA Today Sports sent to the team's communication department. A woman who answered a phone number for the Rangers' communications department said he would discuss the matter with colleagues but never responded to USA Today Sports' request.
Puerto Rico resists federal ban on cockfighting
In the blood sport of cockfighting, roosters are bred for aggression, placed in a small ring and encouraged to fight to the death, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA).
Sharp spurs and knives are attached to the birds’ feet and can puncture the brain, lungs and other parts of the animal.
“Besides being cruel to animals, cockfighting is closely connected to other crimes such as gambling, drugs and acts of violence," the ASPCA reports on its website.
Cockfighting is a felony offense in all 50 states and U.S. territories, including Puerto Rico. It has been illegal since 2007, but not until 2018 did Congress close a loophole that allowed cockfighting to continue without penalty in Puerto Rico and other territories.
The ban went into effect in 2019, and Puerto Rico resisted. Politicians argued cockfighting was a cultural tradition on the island. During that period of time, a videotaped interview with Irad Ortiz posted on Facebook in April 2019 shows him standing in front of cases holding roosters.
In Spanish, Irad Ortiz answered questions about horse racing while the sound of buzzers could be heard. Buzzers are used to start a cockfight.
In 2020, a federal district court upheld the prohibition of cockfighting in Puerto Rico. In 2021, the Supreme Court refused to hear a legal challenge, leaving the ban in place.
Wayne Pacelle, founder and president of Animal Wellness Action, said enforcement of the ban has been anemic.
"This is one more gross failure of the Department of Justice Environment and Natural Resources Division to enforce the law," said Pacelle.
