Understanding Fouaad Mirza's decision to pick Dajara4 over Seigneur Medicott for Tokyo Olympics 2020

Fouaad Mirza (courtesy: FEI)
Fouaad Mirza (courtesy: FEI)

Fouaad Mirza became the 3rd ever Indian equestrian to qualify for the Olympics when he finished 1st in the rankings of South East Asia, Oceania group for 2019 in what is arguably the most royal sport at the Olympics.

Fouaad Mirza consolidated his spot for the Tokyo Olympics 2020 when he achieved the Minimum Eligibility Requirements (MERs) by finishing second on his horse Seigneur Medicott and third on Dajara 4 in the CCI44*-Long eventing competition in Boborowko, Poland on 30th May 2021.

Since the completion of the MERs, the only question on Fouaad Mirza's mind would have been which horse or mare he should choose for the quadrennial event. This would have been a very tough choice for the 29-year-old equestrian as both Medicott and Dajara4 performed very well at the MER event.

Riding on the experienced gelding Seigneur Medicott, Fouaad Mirza won a couple of silver medals at the 2018 Asian Games. Many experts would have expected Medicott to go to Tokyo with Fouaad for all the accolades that the gelding had brought to him.

However, on 1st July 2021, Fouaad Mirza decided to choose the 10-year-old mare Dajara4 over Seigneur Medicott. This development might have surprised some experts, but one needs to dwell a little deeper to understand this selection.

Why did Fouaad Mirza choose the inexperienced mare Dajara4 over Seigneur Medicott?

Fouaad Mirza pickingDajara4 for the Tokyo Olympics 2020 is a very well-strategized move. Fouaad has qualified for the Individual Eventing event at the Tokyo Olympics 2020.

Individual Eventing comprises one round each of Dressage, Cross Country and Jumping events. In the Dressage round, the equestrian is judged based on the art of riding and training a horse in a manner that develops obedience, flexibility, and balance.

In the cross country round, the horse is tested for endurance and has to complete the race in a given time without dislodging the logs. In the jumping round, it has to go over high hurdles without dislodging it in a given amount of time. Each time the logs or hurdles are dislodged or missed, there is a penalty of 4 points for the rider.

Fouaad Mirza has been testing both Medicott and Dajara4 over the past couple of years to figure out which horse is best suited in all three events. However, due to consistent injuries to his experienced horse Medicott, Fouaad has had to choose the rather inexperienced Dajara4 for the majority of 2020 and 2021.

Dajara4 has shown a lot of growth over the past couple of years. The 10-year-old mare has been a strong competitor in the jumping event and her dressage event scores have been decent as well.

Meanwhile, Medicott has been plagued by injuries since 2019. Although Medicott has managed good scores when it has taken to the field, she has not been frequent enough for Fouaad Mirza's liking.

Medicott is a very strong horse and its endurance makes it one of the best cross country horses going around. However, its weak jumping event makes it a little vulnerable in crunch situations.

Dajara4, on the other hand, has been improving in every aspect since 2020. She has been very good at the Jumping event and has continuously improved at the Cross Country event. Both Medicott and Dajara4 have shown good performances in the Dressage section.

Although Fouaad Mirza must have had a very difficult time selecting the horse for the Tokyo Olympics 2020, one can figure out that selecting the exuberant Dajara4 over the experienced Seigneur Medicott is a well-thought-out move. The former has been the rider's compatriot for the majority of 2020 and 2021 improving rapidly, while the latter has shown glimpses of brilliance but has suffered from various injuries.

The combination of Fouaad and Dajara4 have managed some brilliant scores in 2021 and will surely be the dark horses at the Tokyo Olympics 2020.

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Edited by S Chowdhury