The featured event on Sunday was the 155cm CSI3*-W Szerencsejáték Zrt. Grand Prix.
In the competition with a jump-off, riders could collect Longines World Jumping Ranking points and qualify for the European Championships to be held in Milan this year and for the 2024 Olympics.
Several Hungarian horse and rider pairs achieved the MER by completing a clear round. Gábor Szabó, Jnr. on Chabala Mezőhegyes earned their third MER this time, and Ferenc Szentirmai, Jnr. on Tailormade Carem Sandy, and András Kövy, Jnr. on E-UP also moved one step closer to the Olympics, achieving the MER for second time.
The first course built by international course designer Werner Deeg severely tested the field, and from a field of 36 competitors only five, including three Hungarian pairs, managed to finish with a clear round. The jump-off put horse and rider to the test again as the obstacles that had previously caused the most problems for the riders had to be jumped again.
The first competitor, Latvian Kristaps Neretnieks on Palladium KJV, set the bar high with a very fast clear.
Austrian Christoph Obernauer and Kleons Renegade tried to score a quicker time, but it cost them four penalties.
Ferenc Szentirmai, Jnr. on Tailormade Carem Sandy preferred a moderate pace for a clear round but at the end they closed also with four points.
Zoltán Czékus followed the same tactics on Ricola with more success, fishing clear much to the delight of the spectators.
The last participant of the jump-off was András Kövy, Jnr. His horse, E-UP, lost a shoe during the warm-up before the first round and had to be reshod and then warmed up again. In the jump-off, the pair had already passed the third warm-up before the competition and knocked down two bars.
The final result:
- 1. Kristaps Neretnieks – Palladium KJV
- 2. Zoltán Czékus – Ricola
- 3. Christoph Obernauer – Kleons Renegade
- 4. Ferenc Szentirmai, Jnr. – Tailormade Carem Sandy
- 5. András Kövy, Jnr. – E-UP
- 6. Vladimir Tretera – Gangster V/H Noddevelt
- 6. Jiri Hruska – Reiky
- 8. Mouda Zeyada – If Looks Could Kill O.H.
The winners were congratulated by Melinda Schlezák, President of the International Jury, Zsófia Bánhegyi, Commercial Director of Szerencsejáték Zrt., Vilmos Lázár, President of the Hungarian Equestrian Federation, and Prof. Dr. Péter Sótonyi, Rector of the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vice President of the Hungarian Equestrian Federation. The prizes of Zsolnay Porcelain Manufacture were presented to the winners by Bachar Najari, owner of the manufactory.
The main sponsor of the event is Szerencsejáték Zrt.
Photo: CSIO Budapest / Krisztina Hajdu