It’s easy to talk about how patience and perseverance are

necessary traits in horse racing, whether as a trainer or a jockey.

But Rory Huston and Christian Maragh understand exactly how trying it can be to maintain both through lean times.

Huston, a Monmouth Park training fixture for the past 16 years, and Maragh, a 22-year-old apprentice in his third year of riding, entered Saturday’s card at Monmouth Park both at exactly 0-for-26 for the year, with winless streaks that stretched back to last October.

That changed abruptly in the second race, when Maragh booted him 30-1 Island Spirit ($63.60), trained by Huston. Maragh went on to add another win in the fourth race aboard the Silvino Ramirez-trained Chuck Willis.

His win for Huston helped create a Pick 4 carryover of $35,742 heading into Sunday’s eight-race card.

“It feels like it’s been forever between wins,” said Maragh. “I feel like a rider who retired and stopped riding and then came back and won a race. That’s what it feels like. There’s no doubt it has been frustrating. But I haven’t stopped working hard.

“In my mind it was just a matter of time before things turned around.”

His first win of the year ended a 61-race winless streak for Maragh, who last had won a race on Oct. 3 of last year at The Meadowlands.

Huston, who had a solid 10-10-9 line from 86 starters at Monmouth Park a year ago, had last won a race on Oct. 10 of last year. He had gone 34 starts between wins.

“Definitely very frustrating,” said Huston. “It’s definitely a relief.”

Maragh said family support helped him get through the difficult times – and he has plenty of family to lean on. Five relatives were or are riders, including his brother Rajiv Maragh and his cousin Romero Maragh. His father, Collin Maragh, was a trainer for a decade in Jamaica, where the family is from, and mother was an owner and jockey’s agent.

“My family pushed me to keep going,” said Maragh, who now has 22 career wins, having started 1-for-12 in his first year of riding in 2024. “They understood what I was going through and they were there to support me.”

Maragh cites “inconsistency” in getting mounts and riding often as one reason for his drought. But his life was turned upside down last fall when he was riding Aqueduct during the day and the Meadowlands at night and his car was stolen in New York.

“I had to stop riding for a while after that,” he said. “It has taken me time to get going again. When my car got stolen I had just paid my first month’s rent and put down a deposit on an apartment and I wound up losing both. But that’s behind me.”

Huston, who has a 16-horse stable at Monmouth Park, had been the farm manager at Overbrook Farm in nearby Colts Neck, also living on the property, before it was sold in December of 2024. He had been with the farm for 50 years.

That upended his routine and contributed to his 0-for-26 start for the year – 0-for 16 at the current Monmouth meet before Saturday.

“It’s been a struggle but we’ll get there,” said Huston. “You have to find a way to survive the tough times.”