Rajiv Maragh gets first Saratoga win following 2015 spill

Big Mara's 8 ¼-length victory in Friday's opener was the first win at Saratoga since 2014 for jockey Rajiv Maragh, following his injury in a spill suffered at Belmont Park in the summer of 2015.

Friday's victory helped erase the memory of the 32-year-old rider's long road to recovery that was riddled with endless hours of pain and rehabilitation while locked through nine months in a back brace. 

Ultimately, Maragh endured 16 months away from the career he loves, and said he is happy to have come full circle.

"It's really special," Maragh said. "I'm glad to be here and have the opportunity to ride again at Saratoga. It's always a tough place to win races, every win is meaningful. It was a long time since riding due to injuries, the long wait makes it more appreciated to be here. I love riding at Saratoga."

Maragh suffered eight broken vertebrae, a fractured pelvis, broken ribs and a punctured lung when his mount Yourcreditisgood clipped heels with Mini Muffin, sending the Jamaican rider to the dirt in a race on July 10, 2015. The horse then rolled over the prone and stricken rider, causing most of the damage.

He returned to the races on November 4, opening day of Aqueduct Racetrack's fall meet. Maragh rode 30 straight races without a win, and finally returned to the winners' circle less than three weeks after his first race back aboard Bass River Road on November 23 at Aqueduct.

Since then, Maragh has notched 80 wins, including four graded stakes on his home circuit at NYRA tracks, topped by the Grade 2 Wood Memorial hero Irish War Cry, who Maragh will ride on Sunday as the 5-2 morning-line favorite in the Grade 1 Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park.

Source: NYRA