Count István Széchenyi Memorial kicked off with 204 riders from 11 countries on Thursday at the National Riding Hall.
The young horses, aged 6-7 years old, took to the track first. The younger age group competed at 120cm and the seven-year-olds at 125cm in the competition against the clock for the prize presented by Szuhai Horses. The course designed by László Karádi consisted of 11 obstacles with two combinations for the 53 horse and rider pairs.
The victory went to Rodrigo Szuhai, the youngest Hungarian champion of all time, in the saddle of Chacoontano SZ by Chacoon Blue.
Finishing second was Gábor Szabó, Jnr. on the Hungarian-bred Five Star Conference Z, in third place was Henri Kovács and Talisman.
The remaining places went to Borbála Burucs on Mia Niana, Lidija Grum on Lg Angelino, and Szabolcs Krucsó on Special Edition Baboskert. Dr. Csaba Szabó congratulated the riders on behalf of the jury.
Also 53 riders competed in the 130cm Medium Tour against the clock for the prize presented by Inter Horse Truck. At the end of the event it was certain that Henri Kovács, the last starter, would win the event, the only question was on which horse. On Tambourino they completed a lightning fast clear round, but it was only enough for second place. The victory went to The Flash just barely.
Third place was taken by Gábor Szabó, Jnr. on For the Moment.
Rodrigo Szuhai finished fourth on Carta Blue SZ. Gyula Szuhai, Jnr. on Cornet’s Blue SZ and Roland Kovács on Vicora Star PS closed in fifth and sixth place, respectively. Melinda Schlezák congratulated the winners.
The U25 riders competed on the same course. The starting bell sounded 35 times in the competition against the clock sponsored by Horse Trans Cargo. The winner was Roland Kovács in the saddle of Casallandia PS.
A tie was declared for second place with the Croatian horse and rider pair Indi Šimleša and Camacho sharing the podium spot with Levente Jakab and Casus Belli.
Fourth place went to Kinga Jármy on Just The Two Of US, fifth to Dóra Bognár on Calli Top, and sixth to Annabell Bodnár on Vis A Vis. The riders were congratulated by Robert Fekar and Gábor Bálint.
The most prestigious event of the first day was the 140cm Big Tour for the prize presented by the National Riding Hall. The course featured 12 obstacles with two combinations.
The audience witnessed 18 clear rounds from 43 starts. For a long time, Gábor Szabó, Jnr. with H-Secret By Boris were in the lead, but halfway through the competition Rodrigo Szuhai and his horse Cornet entered the track and won effortlessly.
Szabolcs Krucsó and Uripoint were pushed into third place, just a few tenths of a second behind.
In fourth place was Czech Natalie Kovarova on Lady-Sina.L, followed by Gyula Zárug on Cold Blue Boy representing Romania, and Éva Debreczeni on Cortez finishing sixth. Dr. Csaba Szabó congratulated the riders on behalf of the jury.
The next competition – a two-phase event for five-year-old horses – seemed to be a family affair, as only nine pairs lined up for the prize presented by Paul Schockemöhle. First place went to Balázs Csuka and his Hungarian-bred Timpex President (Cornet Obolensky × Kannan), followed by Péter Szuhai on Orald Field (Emerald Van’T Ruytershof × Arezzo).
Slovakian duo Michal Zak and Cupido-K Van Kattenheye Z captured third place. Runners-up were Ágnes Ács-Heibl on Jazz des Forets, Máté Lehotai on Cano and Andrija Hrgovic on Chase Eq Z. Robert Fekar congratulated the riders on behalf of the jury.
The closing event of the day, the CSI* VIP Tour – a 110cm, two-phase competition without interruption for the prize presented by AlpenSpan – attracted 41 horse and rider pairs.
The winner presenting the fastest clear ride was Sebestyén Tóth on Claudius.
The rest of the places went exclusively to lady riders. Zselyke Zelinde Patkó gained second and third place as well on Castro and Claudius, respectively.
They were followed by Anna Gódi on Larima de Talma, Fanni Török on Chicos Flight and Fanni Vass on Golgota. Mrs. Kun, Alexandra Fekete congratulated the riders.
The competition continues on Friday at 8am with the VIP Tour. Admittance is free of charge. The event will be broadcast live on Riderline.
Photo: CSIO Budapest / Krisztina Hajdu