Racing: My Life

By Malesh Narredu

When I look back on my life and career today, I feel a quiet satisfaction. But more than that I feel a sense of wonder at what fate allowed me to accomplish despite the odds being steeply stacked against me when I started out.

Can you believe that a jockey who rides 1,665 winners in his career was struggling to ride his first winner for two long years? You better believe, because that's me.

Cool school

I studied at St Patrick high school in Pune. There was a funny thing about this school--unlike other schools' students who dreamed of becoming doctors or engineers, most St Patrick boys aspired to become jockeys! They studied harder for the Jockey School entrance exam than the school exams. Then how could I be the exception, especially when my elder brother Satish was already riding in races at Mumbai & Pune?

Getting into the Jockey school was not difficult, but the real test started when I was apprenticed to trainer CA Kuttappa. He was a real taskmaster--a martinet! But I must admit that it was thanks to him that a lazy boy like me, whose most favourite pastime was cathcing sleep anytime and anywhere, learnt the value of hard work and discipline.

Stuck in the gates

To say that I was slowly out of the gates would be an understatement--I was stuck in the gates, and looked like I would stay there forever.

My batchmates like I Pasha and T Bernard were marching ahead, piling wins after wins, and however hard I tried, I was unable to get off the mark. Nothing seemed to work, and after two years I was almost convinced my career was finished. Then came Amiable Lady.

Amiable Lady was owned by Chhatrapati Shahoo Maharaj Of Kolhapur, and she finally gave me my first taste of victory. Soon there was a horse named Harvestime, owned by Diwan Arun Nanda, who was yet to win a race despite being tried out with almsot all top riders. Somehow, the horse paired wonderfully with me and won five races on the trot! Then there was no looking back.

In the Big League

It was also Nanda's horse, Ashwamedha, with whom I won my first Pune Derby in 1990. Nothing succeeds like success, really. The boy who was written off and ridiculed by one and all suddenly started getting offers to ride at different centers in India. My technique was getting better thanks to valuable inputs from my elder brother Satish, and I was soon riding winners at every center I was called to ride. Satish was then riding for Dr MAM Ramaswamy, the biggest horse owner of those times, and I too started getting some mounts.

Thanks to Dr Ramaswamy's legendary horse sense and his passioin to win races, I got a chance to partner some very fine horses--Star Supreme, being the one with whom I won my first Bangalore Derby in 1997. My status as a big league rider was confirmed when KN Dhunjibhoy retained me to ride horses owned by him. It was in his colours that I finally won my first Indian Derby with Indictment trained by Vinayak. Indictment later went on to win the Indian Triple Crown. I was associated with the Dhunjibhoys for twenty years, it must be a record of sorts. Just explains what level of mutual trust is possible in a world where jockeys are hired and fired after one bad ride. I really feel blessed to have had such understanding owners.

Advice to the young

I give very simple advice to budding jockeys who consult me. Be honest and work hard, nothing pays like hard work and honesty. This is a profession where people may accuse you and abuse you for no fault of yours. Look at my own case. I have been maligned like no Indian rider has ever been. But in a career spanning 28 years, I have had only one suspension for a questionable ride in western India, doesn't it speak louder than the vicious noise made by my detractors?

Every jockey makes mistakes, I made, you too will. No jockey can escape criticism, whether deserved or undeserved. Take it in your stride and let your results speak.

(As told to Prakash Gosavi)

(c) MiD DAY