JOCKEY RAJIV MARAGH TO PARTICIPATE IN LIVE WEB CHAT

Monday, August 16, 2010

 

Contact: Ashley Herriman

aherriman@nyrainc.com

 

 

JOCKEY RAJIV MARAGH TO PARTICIPATE IN LIVE WEB CHAT

 

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Jockey Rajiv Maragh, second-leading jockey on The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) circuit in 2009, will participate in a live chat on Thursday, August 19 at 8 p.m. EDT. The homepage for the NYRA live chats is http://www.nyra.com/livechat/index.shtml.

 

Born into a family of horsemen in Jamaica, Maragh, 25, started his career in Florida before coming to New York. His father Collin was a jockey in Jamaica and now trains horses, and his younger brother Shamir is currently an apprentice rider on the Florida circuit.   

 

Sixth in the Saratoga jockey standings with 11 winners through the close of racing on Sunday, August 15, Maragh boasted 236 winners in 2009 with more than $11.5 million in earnings.

 

He has won eight Grade 1 races, comprising the 2009 Just a Game and First Lady aboard Diamondrella, the 2009 Beldame and Ballerina on Music Note, the 2009 Alcibiades aboard Negligee, the 2009 Go For Wand and Apple Blossom on Seventh Street, and the 2008 Ashland on Little Belle

 

Fans who wish to participate in the live dialogue with Maragh may log on to http://www.nyra.com/livechat beginning this Thursday at 8 p.m. No pre-registration is necessary and users may simply type questions and comments in the chat field at the bottom of the page for Maragh to address. At the conclusion of the chat, an “instant replay” is created for future reference.

 

NYRA has conducted live chats since October 23, 2009. NYRA TV Analyst Serling regularly hosts the chats, and there have been fourteen guest hosts: NYRA President Charles Hayward, NYRA Chief Operating Officer Hal Handel, trainers Gary Contessa, Bill Mott, Todd Pletcher and Chad Brown, leading New York jockey Ramon Dominguez, recently retired veteran New York rider Richard Migliore, Hall of Fame riders Angel Cordero and Jorge Velasquez, trainer and NYTHA president, Rick Violette, NYRA Racecaller and Director of TV Production John Imbriale, NYRA TV Analyst Jason Blewitt and NYRA Oddsmaker Eric Donovan.

 

Fans who wish to view transcriptions of previous chats may do so at http://www.nyra.com/livechat.

 

NYRA boasts a vast library of online offerings, comprised of the following websites:

 

• NYRA.com – Main website for Aqueduct, Belmont Park, and Saratoga
• BelmontStakes.com – Comprehensive Belmont Stakes coverage
• Rachel’s Sandbox – Everything fans want to know about Rachel Alexandra
• NYRAGroupSales.com – Group sales info on Aqueduct, Belmont Park, and Saratoga
• On The Lead – NYRA’s official monthly email newsletter
• Twitter.com/NYRAnews – Racing updates at Aqueduct, Belmont Park, and Saratoga
• Twitter.com/andyserling – Race analysis at Aqueduct, Belmont Park, and Saratoga
• Twitter.com/Belmontstakes – Updates on all things Belmont Stakes
• NYRA Facebook – Offers all the latest news on Aqueduct, Belmont Park, and Saratoga
• NYRA YouTube – Offers videos including trainer and jockey interviews, Trips & Traps
• NYRA Flickr – Offers pictures from Aqueduct, Belmont Park, and Saratoga
• NYRA Insider Blog – Go behind the scenes at Aqueduct, Belmont Park, and Saratoga
• NYRA Community Relations Blog – NYRA’s community outreach efforts
• NYRA Spotlight – Videos spotlighting NYRA racetrack personnel
• New York Watch – Read about up-and-coming stars from the NYRA circuit
• Backstretch Buzz – Exclusive videos from the backstretch
• Riders Up – In-depth interviews with members of the NYRA jockey colony
• Forbes’ Firsters – Pedigree and sales history of select 2-year-olds debuting at Aqueduct, Belmont and Saratoga

 

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