Maragh hopes to return opening day at Aqueduct

ELMONT, N.Y. – Jockey Rajiv Maragh, out of the saddle for nearly 16 months due to injuries, plans to return to race riding on the Nov. 4 opening-day card at Aqueduct.

Maragh suffered multiple back and rib fractures in a spill July 10, 2015, at Belmont Park. After intensive rehabilitation, Maragh has been getting on horses for several weeks, including three horses whom he put through timed workouts Thursday.

“I’m just happy to be back riding,” Maragh said Thursday. “I’ve come a long way to have that opportunity to be able to do what you love to do again, and it was almost taken all away from me. I’m just happy to be back.”

While Maragh said doctors always assured him he would get back, he said there were times when he wasn’t as sure.

“I can’t lie and say there weren’t times when I thought, ‘I’m off this long – is it really possible?’ ” Maragh said. “There’s a lot of downtime. There were times when things weren’t going too good and you become skeptical.”

Maragh, 31, said he hasn’t decided what he’s going to do for the winter.

“It’s undetermined,” he said. “I’ve been off such a long time, I don’t know where my business stands. I got to see who I’m riding for and what’s the best business decision. It feels more like I’m hitting the reset button and I’m starting from scratch. It’s a rebuilding process, and I just got to see what’s best for my future as a jockey.”

Maragh should have some business for at least the first two days of his return since many New York-based riders will be at Santa Anita for the Breeders’ Cup on Nov. 4-5.