Green Jerseys, No Whips

By Dean Gasper

The jockey apprentice course conducted by RCTC is part of racing history today. It was initiated in 1963 and lasted till 1970. The place where the young jockeys lived is now no more. It is part of the new Vidyasagar Setu. JS the magazine from which we take the liberty of printing this article is also no more. But the article and the photographs exist. And the memories.

Jockey ... the word conjures up a dream... a sequence invoking colour, riches, glory... a tableau halting the action of thoroughbreds at full stretch; and breaking the still; hooves pounding dirt; flying turf; flashing silks; flaying whips; the crowd, a roaring bank of colour; fanfare, rose-garlands, cheers; party! Party! Celebrities and champagne in the solid gold vase; sparkle and glitter and fame.

Dreaming up fame, however, is a far cry from physically treading the road to glory. In the case of the professional jockey the trials along the way are exacting and qualities that win through.

Determination was not wanting in the 17 Indian lads, who in August 1963 qualified to serve apprenticeships with R.C.T.C. Considerations influencing the selection were the weight, height, and bone construction of the candidates and also the size of the parents.

The apprentices are housed in a two-storeyed bungalow on the club grounds. An upstairs dormitory provides basic essentials. A large table, benches and a blackboard on easel furnish the class room. Dining room, kitchen and pantry are scrubbed. The workmanlike atmosphere is deliberate.

Work begins before sunrise. As initiates the apprentices are required to put in three hours on horseback every morning. They ride at The Indian Society of Equitation and Horsemaster-ship, Ballygunge, under the guidance of their horse master, Sardar Bahadur Singh. To prevent any slacking off, the riding classes are followed up immediately with 45 minutes of intensive physical training.

The toughening up process includes an hour and a half each day devoted to games, with particular stress on boxing and rope work. The fact that the school annexed the Inter-School Boxing Championship in 1965 illustrates the standard of fitness attained by the boys in a matter of two years.

Why the accent on brawn and fitness of frame? The attitude is explained with simplicity by the school's head. "This is a game which demonstrates the survival of the fittest". Major Wadia is a sturdily built ex-Cavalryman in his mid-thirties who controls the boy's discipline without the stick. Because of the many temptations and pitfalls in a jockey's life, the club places great value on gentlemanly conduct.

Monday to Friday the boys are confined to three-hour morning classes-books and things. The education is basic-English, arithmetic and general knowledge.

Somewhere in the day time is reserved for equitation classes-grooming and maintenance of equipment. Figuring prominently in these classes is what must surely be the school's best loved animal - the mare Willow Sprig. A moderate racer of another year, the mare Willow Sprig has a gentle calm and forbearance. She models for the boys as they are called upon to identify the frag, the pastern, the crest. Bare back, she stands her ground without a frisk, as the boys spring astride unassisted.

Class dismissed, the boys stampede, green jerseys and khaki streaking over fences, scattering over the camps, each to his own delight. And there are delights catering for childish fancies-the flicks, pocket money, tuck. Subsequent to getting riding engagements, the club has opened bank accounts for the entire crop. Presently Corneld tops the riches list, having raced with the most success, his earnings have reached a few thousand mackers already.

Injuries? Ah, yes! Purple hearts for Rafique (a broken finger kept him a month out of the saddle); Anju was laid up 12 days with a dislocated collar bone and Jimmy was mending a leg for four months.

Food is plentiful, the diet specified and fat-free. Already a couple of the boys are agonized by the jockey's favourite nightmare-making the weight. Fruit, meat and vegetables are served in quantity, nuts and chocolate are taboo

Having graduated to riding in races, each boy is assigned to a trainer. The apprentice reports to his master, who has a call on the boy five hours in the day. Three hours of riding work in the morning is followed by a run round the race track.

The boys race in helmets, goggled and spurred but without whips. In open race they are conceded an allowance of 3 1/2 kilograms, losing a kilo every ten winners they ride. The way Corneld has started out he should lose a kilo of his allowance before the year is out.

With 40 winners to ride, the making of the jockey is in the early morning. Binoculars search the mist. A stop watch ticks. Pounding hooves. A thousand pounds of horse flesh thunders out of the fog. If you catch a flash of green jersey, no matter what colour the helmet, the thousand pounds of horse is piloted by a hundred pounds of boy.