Romero Maragh Set for Return, Will Relocate to Woodbine in Strategic Reset

Timing, opportunity and geography all factored into jockey Romero Maragh’s comeback plan.

Rather than re-entering a crowded New York colony this spring, Maragh plans to return to riding in early March at Gulfstream Park before moving his tack to Woodbine in a strategic reset after being sidelined with an injury for the past four months.

With momentum accelerating toward Saratoga, a return to New York was not ideal for a jockey trying to rebuild after time away.

“If it was the beginning of winter, it would’ve been a no-brainer to go back to New York,” Maragh said. “But it’s the end of winter where everyone is going back so I think the timing is a bit off where I’m gonna have to struggle a bit more than I want to.”

Instead, Maragh leaned into opportunity elsewhere. Agent Jordan Miller approached him with a different path, one shaped by openings in the Woodbine colony.

“Jordan is a great agent. He reached out to me. He’s had leading riders [at Woodbine] from the past and he thought it would make sense for me to go there because a few riders are leaving,” Maragh said, noting potential openings in the colony. “I feel like there’s a gap there.”

Miller, who has represented successful jockeys including Kazushi Kimura and Sofia Vives, looks forward to securing Maragh on his roster this spring.

“I’m very excited to have Romero come up here. You know, I think he’s going to fit in really well with the colony up here. He’s a great rider,” Miller said. “With his skill and with his attitude and work ethic, I think he can really make a difference up here.”

A move to Woodbine could also position Maragh for a smoother path back into New York later in the year. With Belmont Park’s anticipated winter schedule over a synthetic surface potentially attracting Canadian-based outfits, Maragh sees alignment between the two circuits.

“I think a lot of Canadian trainers are going to be back at Belmont for the winter so I think that’s a big deciding factor to help me get back into New York for the winter at least,” Maragh said.

Maragh is still in the process of obtaining his visa.

For the past two months, Maragh has been focused on regaining strength and stamina ahead of his return.

“I’ve been working out a ton,” he said. “The last couple weeks, I’ve been able to get on the Equisizer every day. I’ve been running about 10 miles every day and doing another hour of working out.”

With a target return date approaching, the emphasis has been on conditioning so that when he resumes riding, fitness will not be a concern.

The plan is to work some horses for trainers with strings in South Florida including Patrick Biacone, Chad Summers, Kent Sweezey, and Kevin Attard.

Attard is one of the trainers signing off on Maragh’s visa.

“I’ll be breezing as many horses as I can to get fully fit because I want to start riding about a week after I start getting on horses,” said Maragh.

Maragh anticipates returning to the races at Gulfstream on March 1, where he is named to ride Sponge Time for trainer Georgina Baxter in race 9.