Dr Cyrus Poonawalla honoured

Chairman of Royal Western India Turf Club and noted breeder Dr Cyrus Poonawalla has been conferred with lifetime achievement award at a recent meeting of the turf authorities at France.

Louis Romanet, Chairman International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA), conferred the award on Dr Poonawalla at the annual conference of the IFHA held in Paris earlier this month which was attended by 150 delegates hailing from over 50 nations.

Poonawalla, who has already received several national awards including the prestigious Padma Shree from the Government of India, has represented the country in various administrative capacities at the Asian Racing Federation (ARF) and the IFHA. Dr Poonawalla was honoured in recognition of his immense contribution to the sport of horse-racing and for being an effective ambassador of a country where horse-racing is extremely popular.

“Indeed it’s a great honour to receive a lifetime achievement award at the IFHA though I must confess that I never expected this to happen when leaving for the conference. The IFHA’s gesture to recognise my contribution to the sport has humbled me. It was a proud moment for me to receive the award as an Indian. I was overwhelmed with emotions when the delegates gave me a standing ovation. I was left speechless,’’ said Dr Poonawalla when asked about the honour.

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