When jockey Jose Ortiz purchased land in Ocala, Fla., in 2018, it was partly done with an eye toward the distant future. Those 20 acres in the heart of Florida horse country would someday be the young rider's landing place in retirement.

In the near term, Ortiz, 26, planned on visiting his farm whenever he could to check on the retired Thoroughbreds he and his wife, Taylor, keep there. In reality, that meant Ortiz, whose North American mounts top 10,000 since he began riding in this country in 2012, wouldn't be there all that often.

But during the COVID-19 pandemic, Ortiz has found the land to be an oasis and healing place, both physically and mentally, during these uncertain times.

Jose and Oscar Performance. (Eclipse Sportswire)

Ortiz hasn't ridden in a race since March 18 and has been in Ocala ever since, living with his wife's family, who are among the heart and soul of Ocala's Thoroughbred community. Taylor Rice, a former jockey, is part of the Rice family's long lineage of horsemen and horsewomen. Her aunt, Linda Rice, is one of New York's leading trainers. Taylor's father, Wayne, and two brothers, Adam and Kevin, are also trainers, as was her late grandfather, Clyde Rice, the patriarch of this racing dynasty.

Ortiz fractured his right wrist Feb. 22 in a post parade accident at Gulfstream Park and was sidelined until March 14. After three days of competing, however, Ortiz's wrist began nagging him, and he decided it needed more time to heal. This decision came at the same time COVID-19 began its rage in the United States, and Ortiz thought it was best for him and Taylor and their two young children, Leilani and Derek Jose, to decamp to the quiet environs of Ocala.

If these were normal times, Ortiz would be finishing up Keeneland's spring meet and then moving his tack to New York for Belmont Park's spring stand. But with the Keeneland meet canceled and a delayed opening at Belmont Park – to a date yet to be determined – Ortiz is enjoying his new role as a gentleman farmer.

"I do whatever I have to do on the farm. Cut the grass, plant some oak trees, fix fences," Ortiz said by phone April 17. "I'm outside all the time, and I'm really enjoying it. We're also working on getting the permits we need to build our house on this land."

Ortiz, the 2017 Eclipse Award-winning rider, is also using this time to prepare for a return to riding. He said he could return at Churchill Downs or Belmont Park, depending upon which track opens first.

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"I'm getting on four or five horses a morning for my brother-in-law (Adam), Monday through Friday." Ortiz said. "On Saturdays, I gallop for my other brother-in-law (Kevin). The wrist feels good. I'm going to start running again to get ready for when racing returns. I'm feeling strong mentally. Whenever the time comes, I will be ready."

Ortiz said he hasn't been watching racing – several tracks around the country, including Gulfstream Park, have continued to conduct spectator-free cards during the pandemic – in part because he's been so busy on the farm.

But perhaps the real reason has more to do with self-preservation, because viewing something from the sidelines that has given you so much joy and countless successes can't be easy for an athlete.

"Honestly, I think if I watched, it would just make me want to get back quicker," he admitted.

But as precious as riding is to Ortiz, he has discovered positives connected to his time out of the saddle.

"I've been riding since (I was) 16, for 10 years straight, and I've taken no breaks. I'm enjoying this time," Ortiz said as happy shrieks from his eldest child, 2-year-old Leilani, could be heard in the background. "I'm having fun with the kids, just getting to know them better and spending time with them. It's been fun, honestly. I probably won't get time like this with them again until I retire. I'm trying to make the best of it, like all of us."

Ortiz reported that his brother Irad Ortiz Jr., whom he speaks with daily, is hunkered down with his family in their home in Hollywood, Fla.

Irad and Firenze Fire. (Eclipse Sportswire)

Irad, 27, won the leading rider title for a second consecutive year at the 2019-20 Championship Meet at Gulfstream Park and is the leader rider in North America by money won thus far in 2020. The two-time Eclipse Award-winning jockey (2018-19) has not ridden since March 19, when he announced via Twitter:

"After a lot of consideration, I have decided to stop riding," he tweeted. "This is the safest decision for my family and myself. Hopefully, we can all make it safely out of this quarantine sooner than later and get back to what we all love."

He confirmed Sunday that he will begin riding again at Gulfstream on April 25.

Jose Ortiz said his brother's wife, Meliza, is pregnant with their third child and that caution is also needed with their second child, Saeli, who was born prematurely at 26 weeks and is susceptible to contracting infections.

Steve Rushing, Irad's agent, said he fully backed the rider's decision to stop riding.

"I think Irad is just waiting for all this to subside a bit before he comes back," Rushing said from his home in Maryland. "I told him it's a decision that he and his family have to sit down and make together. I told him whatever decision you make, I will support it and totally understand."

Jimmy Riccio Jr., Jose Ortiz's agent, lives in New Jersey, one of the country's hot spots for COVID-19 and where deaths from the highly infectious virus topped 4,200 as of April 19.

Riccio said he feels for those in his profession who might not be in the same position as he is with a rider who has done phenomenally well in recent years.

"I'm fortunate that I've done well and saved some money," Riccio said. "I'm okay for a little while. But I feel bad for the people that are struggling. That's hard, you know, especially for someone that didn't have an Ortiz brother for the last few years. It's sad. People need their paychecks." –by Karen Johnson