Maragh misses feature but posts double

ELMONT, New York (CMC):

Jamaican jockey Rajiv Maragh narrowly missed winning the US$150,000 Bed O Roses Handicap Stakes but won two other on Monday's 10-race card at Bel-mont Park.

Astride the four-year-old brown filly Qualia, Maragh was on the losing end of a two-horse duel with another four-year-old brown filly and eventual winner Rightly So with Cornelio Velasquez in the irons.

He was bumped by Amazing after the break but recovered and trailed the leader by 1-1/2 lengths on the outside. But during the final sixteenth, he just did not have enough and was beaten to the wire by a head in a time of one minute, 22.44 seconds.

Earlier, Maragh tasted success in the US$54,000 fourth race, also covering seven furlongs, where he made all the running with the five-year-old brown horse Jack On The Rocks.

He took the lead and kept well off the rail, before producing a strong hands-ride in the upper stretch and reaching the wire 1-1/2 lengths clear in 1:22.87 minutes.

Maragh then closed the programme with a narrow win aboard the Eugene Melnyk-owned three-year-old brown gelding, Parkin-son Field, going a mile.

Parkinson Field stalked the pacesetter Hadif before taking over at the quarter pole and staving off the fast finishing Up For Love by a nose, to finish in 1:35.42 minutes.

Maragh lies fourth in the Belmont jockey standings with 37 wins and over US$1.8 million in earnings, with Ramon Dominguez leading with 63 wins.