Rajiv Maragh, who returned to riding at racing's top level after being sidelined for 15 months with career-threatening injuries, will be the recipient of JockeyTalk360.com's third annual Comeback Jockey of the Year Award presented by Horsemen's Track and Equipment.
Horsemen's Track and Equipment president Randy Bloch will present the 32-year-old Maragh the award during the Jockeys' Guild Assembly luncheon Dec. 12 at Las Vegas' MGM Grand. The JockeyTalk360 awards are in addition to honors handed out at the luncheon by the Jockeys' Guild.
Maragh said he thought he was "going to die" when his mount in Belmont Park's fifth race on July 10, 2015, landed on him after clipping heels and falling. The jockey sustained eight broken vertebrae, a collapsed lung, and broken ribs that left him bed-ridden for weeks and in a body brace for nine months.
Maragh Lives in Moment After Long Recovery
Maragh resumed riding in November 2016. The native of Jamaica has won more than 100 races and purses approaching $7.3 million since his return, including taking the grade 1 Wood Memorial and finishing second in the Belmont Stakes presented by NYRABets (G1) on Irish War Cry and winning Saratoga's grade 1 The Ketel One Ballerina aboard By the Moon.
"Rajiv embodies everything this award is meant to honor, including courage and the perseverance to overcome adversity," said C.J. Johnsen, publisher of JockeyTalk360.com. "He has combined his riding skill and passion for horse racing to tackle the challenges of coming back from devastating injuries to again perform at the top of the game."
