Jockey fights cancer, jumps back in saddle for 'sweetest race win'

MUMBAI: Two years ago, jockey Nirmal Jodha was fighting for his life. On Sunday, he was fighting for the finish line. He won both races.

The 43-year-old, who battled third-stage colon cancer and dropped to just 27 kg during treatment, made a stunning comeback at Mahalaxmi Racecourse, guiding no-hoper Absolute Gorgeous past the winning post at The Star Shine Trophy.

"Though I have ridden around 300 winners in my 25-year career in the saddle, this one was the sweetest of them all," Jodha told TOI.

In Jan 2023, Jodha was diagnosed with third-stage colon cancer. "I had been experiencing digestive discomfort for some time, and a routine clinic visit revealed an ulcer in my large intestine," he recalled. A biopsy confirmed it was third-stage colon cancer. "I was completely blank. My first thought was - what will happen to my widowed mother, my wife and my three-year-old son? How will they survive if I die?"

Jockeys’ Association of India and fellow riders helped him get in touch with Dr Mehli Nazir, who advised immediate admission to Ruby Hall Clinic in Pune. There, Dr Gajanan Kanitkar performed surgery in Feb 2023.

What followed was a gruelling battle — aggressive chemotherapy and radiation in the months ahead brought his weight down to just 27 kg. Fortunately, his years as a jockey had trained him to handle a strict diet. A jockey’s typical weight ranges between 47kg and 55kg.

Trainer Adhirajsingh Jodha, Nirmal’s employer and one of the leading names at Royal Western India Turf Club, played a crucial role in his comeback. “I asked him to keep coming to the stables just to get him out of the house and take his mind off things,” Adhirajsingh said. “At first, he just hung around, but soon, he asked for work.” By early last year, Nirmal was back at the stables. “He was so thin and weak that I only let him trot my horses — to help him regain confidence, ” Adhirajsingh said. But by the end of the Pune season in Oct, Nirmal had progressed to cantering horses.

Early this Mumbai season — which runs from mid-Nov to mid-April — he secured a few rides that strengthened his resolve. Trainer P S Chouhan then entrusted him with Absolute Gorgeous. “I told him to take a good jump and do his best in the homestretch,” Chouhan said. Nirmal did not disappoint. While he’s back in the saddle, his medical journey isn’t over. “I have to go for periodic checkups to monitor for recurrence,” he said. “I’ll be on medication for the next five years.”