Rajiv Maragh

Maragh grew up in a racing family. His father, Collin, was a jockey in his native Jamaica and is now a trainer in South Florida, and his brother, Shamir, began his career as a jockey in 2010.

Maragh arrived in the U.S. at the age of 13, though his parents would not let him ride competitively until he graduated from high school. He worked on farms and galloped horses and made his debut with a single race in 2003. Maragh struggled to get good mounts in Florida, but he attracted the attention of retired Hall of Fame jockey Angel Cordero Jr., who brought him to New York in 2004. He was the leading apprentice at the 2004 Meadowlands meet and was the overall runner-up the next two years.

By 2008 Maragh was well established in New York and began riding at Saratoga that summer. He rode stakes-winning fillies Musical Note and Negligee in 2009, when he posted career-bests of 236 victories and $11.7 million in purse earnings. His top horses in 2011 were Grade 1 winners Tizway, Caleb's Posse and Currency Swap. Maragh finished third in the Kentucky Derby aboard Mucho Macho Man in 2011.

Maragh was the regular rider of two-time (2012 and 2013) Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint winner and Eclipse champion female sprinter Groupie Doll. In 2014 he rode Kentucky Derby hopeful Wicked Strong to victory in the Wood Memorial and Jim Dandy Stakes. He is also the regular rider on 2014 champion older male and turf male Main Sequence, riding the gelding to three of his Grade 1 wins in 2014. Maragh was injured during the 2014 Breeders' Cup and wasn't able to ride Main Sequence in the race but was back on him for the gelding's first start in 2015.

Maragh suffered a serious, and potentially career-ending, series of injuries after a spill July 2015, including four fractured vertebrae, a broken rib and collapsed lung. After a long and arduous rehabilitation, he returned to riding in November 2016.

In early 2017, Maragh picked up the mount on highly regarded 3-year-old colt Irish War Cry for the Wood Memorial Presented by NYRA Bets and piloted him to a resounding 3 ½-length victory.