Rishi Persad, who will front the BBC’s coverage of MARS Badminton Horse Trials on Sunday afternoon, has been a familiar face in sports presenting since the Athens Olympics and is well known to followers of ITV Racing on which he displays an impressive grasp of form. However, his rise to prominence in specialist eventing coverage has been a relatively recent occurrence.

“I grew up watching sports such as snooker, tennis and golf as a fan. It was the same with show jumping and eventing, which used to be on the television a lot,” explains Rishi. “There was always a base of interest as with any top-quality sport where you recognise athletic ability. I can look at a horse forever – my first appreciation is of the physical stature, the power and the speed.”

Rishi grew up in Trinidad where his parents owned and bred racehorses. “My dad wanted to be the Sheikh Mohammed of the Caribbean and I loved going racing with him from a very young age. He had a prize mare called Bluebell Hill that produced a foal called Comanechi, who turned into quite a decent racehorse.

“Coming from a small island, just being able to take part made it an achievement and I learnt that there are levels of attainment in eventing, with its multiple variables, besides winning that you can be proud of. This is why people dream of riding at Badminton and come away with a sense of real pride and achievement.”

When asked who he most admires in eventing, he singles out William Fox-Pitt’s final cross-country round at Badminton last year on Grafennacht. ‘It was the skill and the way he sat so quietly on the mare, yet imbued her with confidence. I think of [cricketer] David Gower having the perfect timing or Ernie Els swinging the golf club.

“And I love the way Tom McEwen sits on a horse – to watch him on Toledo de Kerser at the Tokyo Olympics was magical.”

A round-up of all the Badminton action, culminating in the final show jumping finale, will be shown on BBC2 on Sunday afternoon.