Stakes win for Maragh

Published: Tuesday | October 27, 2009


ELMONT, New York (CMC):

Jamaican jockey Rajiv Maragh scored a remarkable 26th added-money win on Sunday when he guided the 2-1 favourite Female Drama to victory in Wing of Jove Stakes on the final day of Belmont Park's Fall Championship Meet.

Female Drama won the US$67,500 six-furlong sprint for two-year-old fillies by 1-1/2 lengths in 1:10.3 seconds under a front-running ride by Maragh for trainer Todd Pletcher.

Maragh finished second in the jockeys' championship with 34 wins as Ramon Dominguez copped the title with 39 wins.

Dominguez, New York's leading rider, won two races on Sunday to finish five in front of Maragh. John Velazquez finished third with 32 winners.

Short trips

Maragh had been leading the Belmont table before making short trips to Keeneland in Kentucky for major riding assignments.

In the Wing of Jove sprint, Maragh had Female Drama in front from the start and repelled stiff challenges inside the last furlong from Magic Appeal (3-1) with Cornelio Velasquez aboard and Simply Spiteful (5-1) with Dominguez.

Of his 26 added-money wins so far this year, Maragh has collected six of those stakes in October, including the US$600,000 Beldame Stakes with Music Note at Belmont on October 3 and a pair of other massive wins at Keeneland - the US$500,000 Darley Alcibiades Stakes with Negligee on October 9 and the US$400,000 First Lady Stakes with Diamondrella on October 10.

 
 
 
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