Jockey Suraj Narredu joined the elite league of Indian jockeys who have completed riding 1000 winners when he rode Becket to victory in the Nizam`s Gold Cup (Gr.3) at Hyderabad on Monday. Suraj thus gets the unique distinction of reaching the land mark in eight years of him getting license as an apprentice at the Bangalore Turf Club. Three of the dozen odd Indian jockeys who have reached this mark come from his family as his father Satish Narredu and his uncle Malesh Narredu also have reached this milestone.

The striking feature of Suraj Narredu`s career thus far has been his hunger for wins. He meticulously studies the race card, selects the possible winners and then makes earnest effort at getting these rides from trainers and owners by his persuasive approach unmindful of the fact that he may be unsuccessful in his attempt. Though this approach of his has not gone down well with his fellow jockeys who felt deprived of their rightful mounts, the fact that Suraj proved successful resulted in more and more owners seeking his services. Today, Suraj is the most sought after jockey and winning rides come to him with lesser effort. That is a privilege that he enjoys being the most successful jockey on the Indian racing scene at the moment.

	Becket (Suraj Narredu up), winner of the Nizam`s Gold Cup (Gr.3), being led in by trainer Mr. S Padmanabhan

``I am thrilled at achieving the landmark so quickly in my racing career. I have always set goals for myself and went after them with dedication. I would have been happier had this achievement come at Bangalore where I began my riding career. I faced many hurdles as I was approaching this landmark. I am relieved that I have crossed the milestone. I can now work towards achieving bigger laurels,`` Suraj said.

In the formative years, Suraj rode mostly in the Southern centers of Bangalore, Mysore and Hyderabad where he got the majority of his 1000 winners. In the last two years, Suraj has expanded into all India circuit and has been riding regularly at Pune and Mumbai. His biggest win to date at Mumbai has been the win on Becket in the Gr 1 Indian Turf Invitation Cup earlier this year. He also rode Sprint Star to victory at Delhi in the North India Derby. If Suraj maintains his zest and the same rate of progress and does not relax after achieving this coveted mark, he can well chase B Prakash`s mark of 2000 winners and more.

Frankie Dettori`s magnificent seven wins out of seven races at Royal Ascot has been my inspiration. ``I keep watching the video and this video serves as a great motivating factor``, Suraj had said time and again.

Suraj is easily the most consistent and enduring jockey on the Indian circuit. Now that he has reached the mark, he has to reinvent himself and go after bigger laurels though not necessarily the number of wins he is going to accumulate but the quality of wins. Suraj was successful at riding winners at Mauritius where he also won the visiting jockeys championship. He has also ridden at Dubai during the Racing Carnival and had a brief stint at Macau.

A former student of MES and Christ College, Suraj has sound educational background to critically evaluate his riding and keep improving all the time. Indian jockeys have traditionally brittle temperament and they don`t take criticism if they make errors during a race. No body is immune from making mistakes but it is the ability to accept the mistake and learn from it is what makes a person stronger. One hopes that Suraj becomes a true all rounder in all aspects and goes on to carve a unique place in the history of Indian racing.