Maragh, Irad Ortiz injured in Friday spills

ELMONT, N.Y. - Jockeys Rajiv Maragh and Irad Ortiz Jr. will both be sidelined due to injuries suffered during separate riding mishaps Friday at Belmont Park.

Maragh was the more severely injured of the two riders. He said in a text sent early Saturday morning that he sustained fractures of the T4 through T7 vertebrae of the spinal column. He also broke a rib and has a tiny puncture in one lung.

Maragh was injured when his mount, Yourcreditisgood, clipped heels and fell near the half-mile pole during the fifth race on Friday.

Maragh was scheduled to ride Wicked Strong in Saturday’s Forbidden Apple Stakes. He was replaced by Joel Rosario.

Maragh said a decision was still pending on whether he would undergo surgery or wear a brace to recuperate from the injuries.

Maragh was in 11th place in the jockey standings for the Belmont Park spring-summer meet, with 24 wins from 195 mounts. He was sidelined for four months after suffering a broken arm here last November when his mount Wicked Strong clipped heels with Moreno and fell during the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup.

“I want to thank everyone that’s reaching out with their support,” said Maragh. “I feel their love and it’s very uplifting for me.”

Ortiz, the leading rider at the fall meet, fell after his mount, Uncle Chester, was bumped solidly following the start of Friday’s ninth race. Ortiz had replaced the injured Maragh on Uncle Chester.

According to Ortiz’s agent, Steve Rushing, X-rays for broken bones were negative but Ortiz sustained a contusion of his right wrist and was sore. Rushing said that Ortiz decided to take a week off and will serve a five-day suspension while he recuperates from the injuries. Ortiz had appealed the suspension, which he’d received for careless riding aboard Pure of Spirit in the first race here on June 26.

Ortiz will resume riding on Friday, July 17.