Maragh off to fast start at inner-track meet

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Rajiv Maragh had determined where he was going to ride this winter well before last weekend, but his four-win Saturday at Aqueduct only reinforced his decision to stay in the Northeast for the season.

Maragh won four races from seven mounts, added another win on Sunday, and finished the opening week of Aqueduct’s inner-track meet with seven wins from 22 mounts. Only Jose Ortiz, who leads the nation in wins this year with 344, had more winners (8) during opening week.

“It’s days like these that I need for people to build confidence in me and give me opportunities,” Maragh said. “I’m so grateful for people giving me opportunities. Coming in, I thought I had some good chances to do good. Fortunately, the horses ran good and took me to the winner’s circle.”

Maragh suffered serious injuries to his back and ribs in a spill at Belmont in July 2015. After multiple surgeries and a lengthy rehabilitation process, he was cleared to ride in late summer. He delayed his return to make sure he was 100 percent fit and his body could handle the rigors of his profession.

Maragh returned to race-riding on Nov. 4 – opening day of Aqueduct’s fall meet – but won only two races from 62 mounts, with 11 seconds, during the main-track season. Aqueduct’s inner track opened on Dec. 7.

“I was kind of happy in a way to get to the inner track and reset the statistics a little bit,” Maragh said. “It’s not a good thing when you have a low percentage and you’re trying to build business. So, now I have a quick start, and hopefully I can build on that.”

Maragh has mounts in 16 of the 25 carded races at Aqueduct from Wednesday through Friday.