Romero Maragh has a knack for winning with maidens

TORONTO, July 15, 2026 – Jockey Romero Maragh has worked his way into the top five of Woodbine Racetrack’s jockey standings in his first season in Toronto by securing impressive wins, particularly in maiden races.

Maragh’s most recent win came on July 12 with Uncle Dodo (KY) by Uncle Mo, trained by Barbara Minshall for owner Hoolie Racing Stable LLC, in the Victoria Stakes.

It was Uncle Dodo’s second career race, first victory and marked a milestone for Maragh at Woodbine as his first stakes win at the track.

What is noteworthy is that 14 of Maragh’s 25 wins at Woodbine, a rate of more than 55 per cent, have been on horses who had never before won a race.

Of those, 5-year-old gelding Bee Me, 4-year-old filly Serious Green, 5-year-old horse Big Lew, 3-year-old filly Sans Dancer, 3-year-old filly Twist of Sugar and 4-year-old gelding Bright Angel (IRE) were all horses that had not broken their maiden in 10 or more races.

One of these wins, in particular, came one week before winning on Uncle Dodo.

On July 6th, Maragh guided Bright Angel (IRE) by Dark Angel (IRE) to victory in a $40,000 Maiden Optional Claiming race.

This was the horse’s 13th career race on Maragh’s first time riding the gelding.

“It’s all about, you know, letting the horses get comfortable, saving ground and getting the right trip,” said Maragh.

The pair broke at 6-1 in the mile-long race on the inner turf and won by three quarters of a length for trainer Joe Russo for owner John Mc Allen.

“I thought that he would come with a nice run, honestly, because especially when he ran on the grass and especially that he’s an Ireland bred,” he said.

Being a new rider at Woodbine, 10 of the 14 first-time winners were horses which Maragh had never ridden.

“The first thing I do, I ask if I could just cut loose from the pony, trying to get to know the horse and then go from there and just ride a very optimal race,” said Maragh. “And I just look at their past performances, how they have their best, what’s their best style of running, and just their tendencies and just try to get them to win. That’s it.”

Maragh’s first order of business is to give the horses he rides a good trip, saving ground.

“I like to be very aggressive with my horses and I like to put them in the race. But also, I don’t over-compromise how comfortable they are, meaning I won’t over-send a horse where they’re kind of running out of their rhythm,” said Maragh. “I like to put them in the race, have them going forward into a nice rhythm, and as long as they’re doing it comfortably, I’m happy.”

Perhaps most impressive was Maragh’s second maiden win at the track with Bee Me (KY) by Bee Jersey for trainer Krista Cole and owner Northern Dawn Stables Inc. and Cole herself.

The gelding had 20 starts under his belt with three seconds and five thirds at the time, but no wins.

Maragh’s first ride on Bee Me (KY) came in a 6-furlong $23,500-$25,000 Maiden Optional Claiming race in May of 2026 on Woodbine’s all weather track.

The pair broke at 4-1 and won by a length.

“He trains really well but he’s always just fringing,” said Cole about Bee Me (KY). “No matter where I ran him, he was like, he would try, but he wasn’t winning. And I knew he didn’t want to go to the lead. He’s a horse that likes to chase horses.”

Cole was confident in her assessment of the chestnut’s running style, who she jokingly referred to as a “professional maiden.”

“A lot of times, because he has a lot of tactical speed, a lot of times he would end up on the lead and I was like, no, he needs to stock a bit,” she said. “So, when Romero rode him, I said, please, do not put him on the lead. Just stalk, give him a good trip, and he’ll build up and he’ll chase them down. And he did exactly what I said, and he won.”

She praises the 26-year-old’s riding.

“He is a very good rider. He has a great attitude and he’s very pleasant and very communicative,” said Cole. “He’s a great addition to Woodbine, I think he’ll do very well. Well, he is doing very well, and he’s going to do even better. If I could get him on more, I would get him on more.”

Maragh started the 2026 season in March at Gulfstream Park after returning from injury.

He then rode at Tampa Bay Downs for two races, before finally making the move to Woodbine, a track Maragh wishes to make his racing home for the foreseeable future.

“With how things are going, a lot of people told me, for somebody in their first year, this is pretty good,” said Maragh. “I love Canada, so I’ll definitely come back here next year if things keep going in the right direction.”

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Anna Jeffs, for Woodbine