Pocket Hercules

8216;8216;I have not eaten since last Thursday,8217;8217; informs famous jockey Mallesh Narredu, on a misty Sunday morning, at the Pune Racecourse where the season is on in full swing. But the statement has little to do with Narredu8217;s financial condition, who rides for Khushroo Dhunjiboy, chairman of Five-Star Shipping Co, for the champion jockey is one of the most well-known professionals in the field today, with a sprawling bungalow and a tidy fortune in place. Narredu8217;s frugality stems from the strict regimen of a professional jockey8217;s diet. If you have to ride and control a powerful, superfast thoroughbred, it is essential the rider is in good condition.

8216;8216;I have to keep my weight down to 53 kilos,8217;8217; says Narredu dolefully, who at 58217;58217;8217; is too tall by jockey standards. 8216;8216;I don8217;t even have water before a big race even though I may have just sweated out two kilos in one hour at the sauna. It8217;s tough,8217;8217; he rues. Jockeys are known to resort to extreme measures to keep their weight down especially before a race 8212; from vomiting to lose pounds to jogging in sweats to spending hours in a sauna. 8216;8216;Of course I wouldn8217;t give this up up for anything in the world,8217;8217; says Narredu wistfully, 8216;8216;everything I have today is because of the racecourse.8217;8217;

Typically, Narredu, like others before him, entered the profession at the young age of 14. 8216;8216;I saw hunger and failure for a while but when I won the Pune Derby in 1990, it was all put behind me,8217;8217; he says happily. So, why do teenagers give up a carefree life in school and with friends and opt for the gruelling years of training as a jockey? Apprentices are expected to be on the track at 5.30 am, have to stick to a rigid diet that would make supermodels feel they are on a fat farm, and, most importantly, actually let a few minutes of a race decide their lives. Not to forget busted bones, or even a fatal fall which could handicap them forever?

8216;8216;It8217;s to do with their love for horses, the good life and the money,8217;8217; says famous jockey-turned-trainer Jaggi Dhariwal who works for liquor baron and Rajya Sabha MP, Vijay Mallya, 8216;8216;and they certainly earn more than what MBAs and engineers do at their age, provided you are racing well.8217;8217; Many jockeys have entered the profession because it is a family trade. 8216;8216;My grandfather Purtu Singh is a well-known trainer, so are my two uncles, and for a sports lover like me, it was the only profession in the world,8217;8217; says P S Chauhan, who rides for advertising honcho, Rediffusion chief, Arun Nanda. 8216;8216;It is a great profession where you earn Rs 2-3 lakh a season of four months. Earlier, jockeys squandered away their money and were thrown on the streets, today, we are clever and invest our earnings sensibly,8217;8217; says the 20-year-old Chauhan, who says he will not trade his job for any other in the world.

Much like C Rajendra, the current champion jockey for business tycoon Shahpoor Mistry, whose family once owned a string of horses, and who has been champion in 13 out of the 18 seasons he has raced so far. 8216;8216;I love the applause and the appreciation,8217;8217; he says excitedly, 8216;8216;and it has been a steady earning of around Rs 6 lakh every season. Where else can you do so well at such a young age? But more than anything else, whizzing past the winning post gives you a high that few other things can.8217;8217;

Narredu recalls the time when after winning his first Derby, he was banned from riding the same horse, Ashwamedha, for his dream Derby, the Bombay Classic, because of a misunderstanding on the field. 8216;8216;I was heartbroken but I desperately wanted to be in the race. So I pleaded with the owner of another horse, Perfect Timing, who was at a 100 to 1 odds, to let me ride for him. He agreed and I won the race defeating the hot favourite, Ashwamedha. It was an unforgettable high.8217;8217;

8216;8216;But you need to have your feet firmly on the ground,8217;8217; smiles trainer Bezan Chinoy. 8216;8216;There is so much of fast money and glamour here that while some can handle it, some cannot. Finally, it is only the ones who can put in the hard work and discipline who make it to the top. The rest fade away.8217;8217; Imtiaz Sait, another well-known trainer nods in agreement. 8216;8216;Not everyone can become a Pesi Shroff and they must remember that.8217;8217;

The legendary Pesi Shroff, who began his career 20 years ago and has just completed a 100 classic wins he now works for Mallya, making him the most successful jockey on the Indian turf. 8216;8216;I just happened to be at the right races at the right time,8217;8217; he says wryly. 8216;8216;You can have a lot of talent and horse sense, but luck is supreme. The glamour part is more imagined than experienced.8217;8217; The unpredictability of life on the racecourse make jockeys a superstitious lot. 8216;8216;I always make sure I include my lucky colour on my attire for all races,8217;8217; says Malcolm Kharadi, while Bajrang Singh will never mount a horse till he sends a prayer to the heavens. All jockeys have to train at a recognised riding school, after which they are taken as apprentice jockeys and work under trainers. In fact, many aspire to become trainers after they have hung up their boots as riders. The retirement age is anywhere between 25 and 45 years.

The one thing most jockeys regret, despite all the success, is the fact they miss out both school and college and, therefore, a sound education. 8216;8216;I am only a Standard VI pass and the one thing I will ensure for my children is that they get a complete education,8217;8217; says Narredu. 8216;8216;You grow up too soon in this line,8217;8217; sighs Rajendra before adding 8216;8216;but then you get everything too soon also. It8217;s all a part of the game.8217;8217;