Fouaad Mirza has inscribed his name into the archives of Indian Sporting History when he was nominated for the Arjuna Award in the field of Equestrian.

He is the first Civilian and the youngest Equestrian to receive the Award. The young 27 year old shot into the limelight, when he led from the front in the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta and picked up two Silver Medals an Individual and Team.

Fouaad had the talent and the horsepower, but if it hadn¹t been for the timely intervention of Jitu Virvani of the Embassy Group, the Indian Team might never have got to the Games. He¹s backed Fouaad since 2014 and he¹s certainly picked a Champion.

The last time Team India won an Individual Medal in the Equestrian Arena was back in 1982 when the Asian Games were held in Delhi, and Raghubir Singh, Gulam Mohammed Khan and Prahlad Singh did India proud winning Individual Gold Silver and Bronze respectively and the Team Gold. Since then we have managed only Team Bronzes in 1986, 1998, 2002 and 2006.

Fouaad had horsey blood flowing through his veins from the time he was born. It was blue blood at that too, which you could trace back to his Great Great Great Grandfather ­ Ali Asker I, who came to India from Shiraz in 1824 with a consignment of about 200 horses for sale. Horses and Racing became a natural extension of his business and it would pass on from generation to generation.

Fouaad¹s grandfather, Maj. Mohammed Mirza was Commandant the President's Body Guard in India and was an officer of the 61st Cavalry ­ the Last Cavalry Regiment in India with horses. His father Hasneyn Mirza, continued the family tradition and association with horses and along with his brother Zeyn was instrumental in setting up in 1979 the successful Kehelan Stud Farm, located on the outskirts of Bangalore. Besides being an accomplished rider and polo player, Hasneyn would go on to establish himself as one of the leading Equine Vets in the country.

Fouaad who was born on the 6th of March, 1992, would grow up at the Farm and as a result his love affair with horses began from birth. The young lad virtually grew up in the saddle and it was a foregone conclusion that horses would be a part of his life. He got that unique opportunity to watch horses and temperamental Thoroughbreds at that from up close quarters and it helped him understand them far better than most.

Eventually he would move on to a different breed altogether ­ The Warmblood, but the bond that he would forge with the German bred Seigneur Medicott would become unbreakable and the foundations for that were laid in those early formative years.

At the tender age of 10, Fouaad was riding in Gymkhana Races and graduated from ponies to full fledged thoroughbreds. His father Hasneyn who trained the horses he rode had an intriguing story to tell. He mentioned that Fouaad had this remarkable gift of coming back after a race and recounting exactly what had transpired in the course of the running. He could narrate almost furlong to furlong where he was placed, who was alongside or in front and how things developed from there.

He also had excellent judgement and once at the age of twelve informed his father after losing on what they thought was a certainty that the horse he rode in the race was not the one he had worked. His Dad almost flipped but later found out that the horse in question raced best when fresh and he had done too much with him on the track. They rectified the mistake and this time young Fouaad made no mistake.

By now he was also competing on the Equestrian front and he won his first National Gold Medal in the Junior Nationals held in Pune as far back as 2003. As he grew older, he was faced with a dilemma. Become a professional jockey or go into Eventing full time.

Initially it was horse racing that held sway and he worked under champion jockey turned trainer Pesi Shroff, honing his skills. He may not have enjoyed the rigorous yet mundane routine, but it gave him a great sense of pace and timing. When he decided to make the switch and go into Eventing, he could gauge exactly how fast or slow he needed to go and it was almost as if he had inbuilt stopwatch in his head. He is probably one of the only riders who doesn¹t bother to strap a watch onto his wrist and yet he can time his cross country bid right down to a nicety.

Destiny awaits Fouaad and his 13 year old companion ­ the bay gelding Seigneur Medicott, a German bred warmblood. They have travelled Europe in their bid for a place in the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games which will be the piece de resistance for the duo who have already set the adrenalin pumping as they go for gold in their quest for glory.