Rajiv Maragh Comes Back From Injuries

Rajiv Maragh, the diminutive, yet indomitable, 36-year-old from Kingston, since 2005 has been successful on the North-American circuit, firmly establishing himself as one of the top horse-racing jockeys in the United States.

A winner of nearly 2,000 races since he first got his jockey’s licence in 2003, Mr. Maragh, the son of former top-flight Jamaican jockey turned US-based trainer, Colin Maragh, has also amassed more than US$100 million in purse earnings, averaging a personal income of US$1 million per year.

Currently plying his trade at the Gulfstream Racetrack in Florida, it is almost easy to forget that it was only six years ago when a spill at the famed Belmont Park in New York almost cost him his life.

“I am very lucky to be alive today,” Mr. Maragh told JIS News at a Think Tank at the agency’s regional office in Montego Bay, St. James, on September 29.

“It was a day [July 10, 2015] that I will and could never forget. As I went down, the horse fell on me where I suffered several broken vertebrae, a punctured lung, and broken ribs from the fall. There were eight fractures of the spine. It took three days before I could make my first steps, while I had to stay in the house for three months, only leaving twice for a hospital visit,” he added.

Mr. Maragh, who is now the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of a new cutting-edge technology-driven door-to-door food delivery company, Road Jockey, further explained that he had to wear an upper-body brace for nine months and was restricted from bending, twisting, and lifting.

“It was an ordeal that took me away from the racetrack for 16 months and where many persons, including multiple doctors, had concluded that I would never ride again,” he pointed out.

“It was really tough… the rehabilitation and all the hard work and pain that came along with it. It became very frustrating at times, being sidelined and unable to do even the most basic of things. I have to say a special thank you to my wife, Angelina, for being there every step of the way and for helping me to keep my sanity intact. I always knew deep down that I was never going to go out like that and that a comeback was always on the cards.,” he added.

On November 4, 2017, Mr. Maragh made that long-awaited return at Aqueduct, New York, to the delight of racing fans and also his fellow jockeys, a number of whom gave him a lot of moral support during his rehabilitation process.

A former student of Meadowbrook High School in St Andrew, Mr. Maragh, has the distinction of being the only English-speaking Caribbean rider to have placed twice in one of the world’s most prestigious sporting events, the Kentucky Derby – third in 2011 with Mucho Macho Man and fourth in 2014 with Wicked Strong.

He also won four Breeders Cup races, the most ever for an English-speaking Caribbean jockey, and several rich stake races, including the Louisiana Derby, the Wood Memorial (twice) and the Jim Dandy.

For Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Hon. Olivia Grange, the Rajiv Maragh story “is truly inspirational and also one that speaks of an indomitable spirit and having an unquenchable desire to succeed”.

“His exceptional story, which has seen him become one of the top riders in America, is the stuff of legends. But it’s his comeback – his amazing, courageous and incredible 16-month return from several broken vertebrae, a broken rib, and a punctured lung in a racing accident – that makes him stand out,” she told JIS News.

“He embodies the Jamaican spirit – resilient, determined, always trying, and never accepting defeat. I wish him the very best, as he is certainly one of those outstanding Jamaicans whom we salute,” she added.

Road Jockey is set to launch on November 1 in Montego Bay and the company is working closely with the Transport Authority of Jamaica as it relates to getting the estimated 42,000 green-plate carriers on board.