BY GULFSTREAM PARK PRESS OFFICE (Edited)
HALLANDALE BEACH, FL—Jockey Rajiv Maragh rode the 2,000th winner of his career Friday at Gulfstream Park, guiding Florida-bred Lazio to a hard-fought victory in Race 3.
©Lauren King
“This feels pretty surreal when you think about the whole journey since 2000,” Maragh said following a winner’s circle celebration with family and friends. “I’ve come a real long way. I’ve come from humble beginnings and to be able to achieve this milestone is pretty incredible. I’ve got to be really thankful for all the support I’ve had. You don’t win 2,000 by yourself. There are a lot of people behind the scenes.”
Maragh stepped away from riding in January 2022 to devote all of his time to starting and building Road Jockey, a food delivery service, in Jamaica. He resumed riding at Gulfstream on Oct. 29, 2024 with a goal to reach the 2,000-win milestone.
“This is a career milestone that I’ve really looked forward to as a short-term goal of mine,” he said. “To accomplish it, it’s actually motivating. It creates the possibility that anything’s possible, doing this at the highest level [at] Gulfstream’s Championship Meet.”
The 40-year-old veteran rider stalked the pace aboard Lazio before taking the lead at the top of the stretch and holding off a late charge by New York New York to prevail by a neck, a five-and-a-half-furlong claiming race on synthetic for 3-year-olds and older.
Lazio paid $5 to win.
Maragh has won 25 Grade 1 stakes, including Main Sequence’s 2014 triumphs in the United Nations, Sword Dancer and Joe Hirsch Turf Classic during the Graham Motion trainee’s Eclipse Award-winning season. He rode Main Sequence to victory in the 2015 Mac Diarmida (G2) at Gulfstream.
One of Maragh’s fondest memories was winning his first stakes aboard Lilah in the 2005 Hurricane Bertie (G3) at Gulfstream as an apprentice. He and his wife named their daughter Lilah, 1, after the filly trained by Hall of Famer Allen Jerkens. Nine years later, Maragh would return to the Gulfstream winner’s circle following the Hurricane Bertie aboard Groupie Doll, who closed out her brilliant career with a seven-length victory. Maragh also rode the modestly bred daughter of Bowman’s Band for back-to-back victories in the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1) at Santa Anita in 2012 and 2013 that earned the Buff Bradley-trained mare back-to-back Eclipse Awards as Champion Female Sprinter.
Maragh recorded his first career win at Tampa Bay Downs Feb. 1, 2004 aboard Pricedale Kid, who captured a seven-furlong $7500 claiming race by six-and-three-quarters lengths.
Return to the December 5 issue of Wire to Wire
