Darjeeling's Forgotten Jockey Pratap Rai

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Darjeeling's Forgotten Champion Jockey Pratap Rai. 

Local Darjeeling Gorkha jockeys once dominated the Lebong track. But by 1980, they had disappeared from the Lebong race course. 

Pratap Rai was a two time  prestigious Governors Cup winner in 1950 and 1958 with the horse named Let me Fly and Nayan Tara. Pratap Rai  had raced across India to erstwhile East Pakistan now Bangladesh from 1955 to 1956.

Local Darjeeling jockeys’ dominance in the field of horse racing is a history nearly forgotten today. Their participation dates back to colonial times, when the British brought their love of horseracing to Darjeeling.

The gora sahibs and the Bengal Governors along with the Maharaja of Cooch Behar, Burdwan Maharaj and other royal families frequented the Lebong track. 

Political turmoil, coupled with the economic problems of the period, shrunk the demand for  jockeys as Lebong racetrack closed and attendance fell.

Well, Pratap Rai was born in 1927, so right at the beginning of  The Simon Commission was formed to consider further steps toward self-rule of India. And he came to prominence as a jockey right during the 1950s.His mother was a Ayah at Park Hotel  presently St Roberts Higher Secondary School not economically well off, and so she decided to apprentice him off. And he had to learn how to ride or he  had to figure out something new for his life. And he took to it like a birds to the wind.

And here's a story of someone who had to pursue his craft as a jockey out of necessity, and he had to work at it. It was not something that was a given. It wasn't that he was commanding the horses to do phenomenal things. Pratap Rai understood what the horses' capacity was and took advantage of that.

His son Dipak Rai my friend narrated the story that after victory in the Lebong race track his dad got red carpet welcome by Sir Raja Sonam Topgay Dorji CIE of Bhutan for a dinner party at Pliva  with beautiful fine-dining atmosphere eating great food, sipping on cocktails .

   Jockey Pratap Rai received gifts from Royal King of Bhutan and Governors and Maharajas.

Jockey Pratap Rai breathed his last in 1978 at the age of 52 in Lebong.