Maragh making progress in recovery from injuries

Rajiv Maragh, who suffered multiple back and rib fractures in a spill at Belmont Park on July 10, 2015, is progressing toward a return to the saddle but isn’t targeting a specific date.

Maragh, who spent the better part of the last eight months in south Florida undergoing physical therapy, has moved back to New York to continue that process. He visited his specialist Friday in Manhattan and came up to Saratoga to visit.

Though he looks fit, Maragh said he’s still not strong enough to ride.

“Being an athlete, you got to be nimble and agile and strong, and I lost a lot of that being off such a long time,” Maragh said. “So, before I can get on a horse, I got to regain all that strength, agility and mobility – all that stuff you need to be physically capable of performing on a horse.

“When I come back, I don’t want to look like I have cobwebs all over me,” Maragh added. “I want to come back and try to pick up where I left off, which is easier said than done, but I’m really working hard at that.”

Maragh said that when he arrived in New York, “I felt like it’s another step forward and a step closer to riding.”