Maragh resists return to riding as his new business grows
It was just a few months ago that Rajiv Maragh contemplated a return to riding. His name even made it onto an overnight at Gulfstream Park.
“I was in Jamaica for two months and they had a big race coming up and I got the itch,” he recalled, standing outside the Gulfstream Park walking ring. “I had never ridden at home at (Caymanas Park). I wanted to get a few mounts here and then ride that race. But … ”
Maragh, a popular jockey in New York and Florida, is silent for a moment before saying, “But I withdrew.”
For Maragh, a winner of 1,939 races, 76 graded stakes and the pilot of two-time champions Groupie Doll and Main Sequence, his focus these days is on his company, Road Jockey, a meal-delivery service in Jamaica that is expanding in his native country and is ready to expand across the Caribbean.
“I miss riding a lot, but I actually work harder now than I did when I was riding,” said Maragh, whose last mount was at Gulfstream on Jan. 14. “As much as I was dedicated to riding and that lifestyle for 18 years, it’s a big transition to do something with a company that’s growing and expanding, but also one in different countries and different time zones.”
It was shortly after his last mount at Gulfstream that Maragh said he decided to give Road Jockey the best chance of success, “so I stopped riding for that reason.” Maragh has 20 people working at Road Jockey and a technology team working with subcontractors around the world.
“I guess some would think it’s abrupt, an unexpected situation when you see a jockey in mid-age step away from riding to do a different business,” he said. “It doesn’t happen all the time. But riding created a great network and platform for me financially to be able to take a chance to do something in addition to riding. I appreciate the opportunities riding gave me. I would never be in this position – to bootstrap myself and go into this venture.”
When asked whether a return to riding is imminent, Maragh said with a smile, “Not in the near future.
“Riding takes such full-time dedication. You must stay fit, healthy,” he said. “It’s full time, and I’m focused 110 percent on this venture, so I don’t have the time.
“I feel like I’ve accomplished so much and overachieved on a lot of my objectives. However, there were certain things I never accomplished I feel I could if I stayed on the track, like winning an Eclipse Award or be a champion jockey. If I ever came back to ride, I would come back very focused to obtain some specific goals and objectives. And that would motivate me to ride, but I don’t see that happening right now.”