Jagdish Singh Chauhan delighted Indian railbirds for well over four decades. He rode over 1960 winners and had success in 98 classics. He quit in November 1986 at the age of 56,just short of achieving a grand double, i.e. riding 2000 winners and winning 100 classics, due to a nagging back injury and pressure from his family to give up the spartan lifestyle and risks associated with a top-flight jockey. ``I never consciously went after records. My overriding ambition right through my career was always to win,'' says Jagdish who could have gone on to achieve the coveted landmark had he wished to.

Former Chairman of the Turf Authorities of India and of the Bangalore Turf Club, P.G.Belliappa a newspaper columnist for a long time profiles the legend.

In a sport where many are viewed with suspicion, Jagdish enjoyed the respect and affection of race-goers for over 40 years because of his integrity. ``People considered me an honest jockey and had faith in me. The general public, Stewards and colleagues honored me with their affection.'' This has been my greatest satisfaction, he says. '' What counts in the final analysis is the reputation that Jagdish carried with the regular racegoer - an opinion which found expression in the poll conducted by the periodical Horses and Courses in 1977. Normally cynical and opinionated racegoers voted him the most reliable and honest jockey seen for years. Further comment is superfluous.

Jagdish hardly had any brushes with authority, having been suspended only twice in 40 years, both for two days apiece in Bangalore in 1950 and in Pune in 1973. -For interference. And the fines? Except for Rs.10, 000/- imposed in 1984 season in Guindy, they were never more than Rs.500 under any other Turf Authority. That whopping fine reduced by Rs.3,000/- on appeal, was for negligent riding. `It was very unfair and it hurt me very much, because I was not guilty says Jagdish." While I was changing the whip from my left hand to the right, the reins slipped accidentally. For this such a big fine of Rs.10,000/- had been imposed. In any case the other horse won from start to finish and I chased him all the way without hope." Newspaper reports on the incident do suggest that he may have been the victim of infighting in the club.

Jagdish made his debut, with a ride on King Solomon at the Pune Race Course on August 11, 1945. Jagdish hit the limelight with the legendary Baba Khan, the trainer with whose stable he had been associated for 15 years - eight with Baba Khan and after his death in 1961, seven with his son Khan Baba. It was also just after Baba Khan had died in 1961 that Jagdish suffered the most serious accident of his career. Riding Island Manor at Calcutta at the end of the season, he clipped the heels of a front runner. The resulting fall fractured his spine in three places and his pelvis in two places, thus forcing him to spend three months in plaster. Even then, he had returned immediately to the saddle 15 days after the plaster was removed, prompted by the demands of the stable headed by raw youngster - Khan Baba, then just 21.This loyalty to his erstwhile mentor's family, in the face of tempting offers to switch stables from Bombay and Calcutta, drew an appreciative letter from an unknown correspondent. Still treasured by Jagdish and strangely prophetic it reads, "Congratulations! Like a true Rajput you have not deserted your master. Success is bound to come to you, so full of gratitude" .The tally of 98 Classic and more than 1960 wins from around 9,000 rides has certainly proved the unknown admirer right. The classic tally is next only to that of Vasant Shinde who has recorded over 100 classic successes.

How he did come to become a jockey? The thought of his early days brings a smile to his face as he recalls how at 13 when he first joined the RWITC Apprentice School in 1943 at Pune, the goals were very simple. To get admission, to learn to ride, finish his apprenticeship and then to ride winners. He stuck to his task and the successes and rewards had followed. '`That sounds like Krishna in the Bhagvada Gita'', I tell him straight faced. ``No goals, I will continue to ride only as long as I can and enjoy riding'', Jagdish had said as he neared the dream double. He did concede that there was pressure from his admirers, owners and friends to complete the double of 2000 winners and 100 classics. Prominent among them was Dr. M. A. M. Ramaswamy for whom he had won more than 50 Classic and for whose patronage he is very grateful. MAM should know the feeling. He is in the Guinness Book of Records for his 300 plus Classic wins. His trainer, A.B.David, too, had completed a century of Classic wins. Hence if Jagdish reached the coveted target it would have been a unique treble. Alas, it was not to be as Jagdish called it off on the threshold of creating history.

The time frame of four decades of his stint stretches from just before Independence, when racing was dominated by the British and the Maharajas, till the late 80's the period during which racing in India had undergone radical changes. Jagdish belonged to the second batch of the RWITC Apprentice School. The first batch included Pandu Khade, Shamu Chavan and Kheem Singh. Jagdish was easily the star performer of his class. Apprenticed to D. W. Balfour, his first win came on King Solomon, the horse on which he made his debut, on March 6, 1946, at Bombay when just 16. The 'King' gave him his second win, too, but he had to wait six months for it. Jagdish's indenture was transferred to Buckley in 1947as Balfour left for Calcutta, and he completed his apprenticeship fittingly enough on Vijayadashmi day in 1949. The first of the string of Championships that were to follow came during this period, Jagdish finishing as the leading apprentice during 1947-48 season with 13 wins. It was an extraordinary performance when compared with the 19wins scored by the then leading jockeys, Pandu Khade and Damodar, who tied for 1st place. The association with Baba Khan, whom Jagdish considers the best Indian trainer ever, started in 1953. This flat assertion is no ordinary compliment, for Jagdish has ridden for every top-ranking trainer in the country - Balfour, Buckley, Talib, Baba Khan, KhanBaba, Sam Hill, S. M. Shah, R.R. Byramji, Darashah and A.B. David, all having retained him at some stage of his career. A shrewd man, with a deep knowledge of horses, Baba Khan also had extraordinary powers of observation recalls Jagdish, emphasising that he was so gifted that he could spot flaws even in horses from other stables. As an illustration of the master trainer's prowess, he then proceeds to tell the story of Canny Scot's Indian Derby success in 1958, and of how Baba Khan had brought a transformation in Canny Scot's staying ability with a quick change in training methods. Canny Scot had placed second to Decoration in the Indian 2000 Guineas and Jagdish had told Baba Khan that Canny Scot appeared to tire a bit. Baba Khan's reply was, ``Yes Jaggu, next time you and not the horse will be tired''. Jagdish had no opportunity to see Canny Scot before his next outing in the Sir H. M.Mehta Gold Cup (1 1/4M), a trial for the Derby. He had been busy riding in Madras and Calcutta and had arrived in Bombay after a delayed air journey. In the paddock he could hardly believe his eyes on seeing a transformed Canny Scot. '`It was almost magic that Baba Khan had wrought with colt and I had no hesitation in saying that Canny Scot would win''. He did then went on to claim the Derby.

Racing has changed, so comparisons are not very valid is the diplomatic answer when asked to rate today's trainers against the giants of yesteryear and against each other. Pressed further, Jagdish does not go beyond Byramji and Aris David. ``Both are in the same class, but each trains differently" and that their tremendous success speaks for itself. David has since retired after his break with his mentor Dr M A M Ramaswamy for want of good patronage. Similarly rather than compare the relative merits of today's jockeys, Jagdish prefers to talk of the idols during his apprenticeship and of colleagues, none of whom are in the saddle anymore. Wally Sibritt, Billy Evans, Edgar Britt, Pandu Khade, Shamu Chavan, Purtu Singh and Kheem Singh. "It was a very good school for me because I competed against many great jockeys and it was very hard for one to win without both talent and dedication". "Evans and Sibritt wielded a particularly strong influence, the latter then riding for Balfour, teaching him everything from holding the reins to judgment of pace. He agrees that today there is lack of competition, with the top jockeys thinly spread out at all the centers, has made for a much poorer riding standard. In addition there are not too many people around of the calibre of Soli Captain, who, recalls Jagdish, as a Stipendiary Steward during his apprenticeship days, had instilled a strong sense of discipline among jockeys. The situation worsened after the Bangalore Turf Club, in an effort to break the boycott by the jockeys in 1977,called to force recognition of their Association, licensed a number of apprentices and riding boys rather prematurely. Jagdish, who was one of the three Vice Presidents of the Jockey's Association during those turbulent times, still preserves the victorious outcome of that boycott: A letter from the Turf Authorities of India granting recognition to the Jockey's Association.

Jagdish is already on record that Squanderer was `'the greatest''. "I have never ridden a horse like him; he could have won with anyone as he knew what was expected of him", and "we never knew what he was really capable of" are some of the phrases he uses to describe the champion. The dramatic victory in the1977 RWITC Invitation Cup considered Squanderer's best race ever has been told before but Jagdish enjoys re-enacting the drama. "From seven furlongs I was in trouble, stuck on the rails with horses on the outside, even inside the final two furlongs. In the meanwhile the English mare, Certainty, had taken a 3length lead. I lifted Squanderer through a narrow gap, pushing aside Ghazab, straightened him out and tapped him on the shoulder less than 1 and 1/2 furlong out. The response was electrifying, like changing gears in a car. Squanderer immediately stretched out to win by 3 and ¼ lengths clocking 2m. 4/5s. Just 2/5 second of the course record set by Finalist in 1941. Had I really gone for the stick, I am sure that even after all the bad luck during the race I could have beaten Finalist's timing. To set the record straight he also talks about the only time Squanderer was beaten. That was the ‘76 Colts Trial when he finished third to Red Satin. Squanderer was not his usual self-that day, he explains. He was nervous, refused to go into the stalls quietly and was, in addition, very unlucky in having to travel on the outside besides being chopped off more than once. The final tribute comes in the punch line. He should have represented India.

It was Jagdish's honesty, dedication and talent and not mere good fortune, which got him the retainers from the big stables, the rides on the best horses and the championship titles. Plenty of owners and trainers always stood in line, requesting him to ride their horses in big races. So he has always had a good choice. In a prestigious Classic race of course there was more pressure. ``After all the chance of running comes only once in the career of a horse,'' he says.

Jagdish’s career included such feats as riding six winners and placing second, in a card of seven events at Mysore. Only one other Indian jockey P.Shanker has come close having ridden six winners & a fourth also at Mysore. Five winners in a day were recorded more than once at Bangalore, Bombay and Madras. But what is unique is the sequence of wins in major (now graded) races at three different centres on successive days in 1963.It started when Jagdish won the Governor’s Cup at Calcutta with the Mcphearson trained Commuter on a Saturday. He then caught the night mail flight to Nagpur (those were the days of unpressurised Dakotas), and changed planes to land in Bombay early Sunday morning. After riding the S.M.Shah trained Ali Baba to victory in the Eclipse Stakes of India, he caught a similar mail flight again via Nagpur to Madras. Arriving on Monday - Pongal day - he rode the Khan Baba trained Neon to victory in the South India Derby.

Jagdish had another major accident in 1984 when he fell from Silver Meteor at the starting gates at Guindy. The resulting broken leg kept him out of the saddle for six months but ironically his comeback winner was on Silver Meteor in Mysore. Family pressure to give up the risks of the sport and nagging injuries finally persuaded Jagdish to hang up his boots in November 1986 at the age of 56. Jagdish however continues his association with the sport as a race day stipendiary steward with the BangaloreTurf Club since 1991. Two of his sons, Vijay Singh and Bharat Singh, who apprenticed under A.B.David and Byramji respectively, are successful trainers at Calcutta.

Adorning the walls of his spacious living room are two photo frames, the only ones Jagdish has on display of his two Invitation Cup winners. A good 3 1/2ftby 2 1/2ft each, one frame contains a blow up of Jagdish on Commanche returning after his Indian Derby triumph. The other has a number of smaller photos of Own Opinion’s Invitation Cup victory, the presentation, the leading in and the finish, with him stealing a sideways glance at Royal Tern. Own Opinion, the Ramaswamy-owned chestnut, the only Indian bred invited to participate in the Japan Cup and also both the highest stakes earner of that era and one with the maximum number of wins - 29 in India- is rated next best to Squanderer by Jagdish. He was outclassed in the Japan Cup where he beat home only two, but it must be borne in mind that he was running anti-clockwise, that he was getting past his prime, was feeling his joints, that the cold and the quarantine had affected him and yet he had run the fastest race of his life clocking 2 minutes 28 seconds for 2400M. Own Opinion's Invitation and other battles for supremacy with Royal Tern were titanic but in Jagdish's opinion, the two were very different. While Royal Tern was more brilliant and unbeatable over a mile, Own Opinion was a true stayer. Both had ``Class'' and it was always touch and go when they clashed over Derby trips. But, adds Jagdish," in the Leger I would beat him always". While Squanderer was the greatest, Commanche, as could be already gauged by the size of the portrait was his favourite. Except for his maiden start, which he lost, he ran the rest of his 15 races with Jagdish up, the partnership continuing till Commanche retired after the Indian St. Leger. " I used to call him ‘millionaire’ for he was the first Indian horse to win a million rupees", he recounts fondly, adding he was "handsome, well behaved, never vicious and a perfect gentleman."

An apt description of Jagdish as well.