Kentucky Derby winning jockeys, MLB pitcher tied to illegal cockfighting in Puerto Rico

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. 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' Díaz. " El Nuevo Día, 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.