Saturday’s featured event, the €30,000, 1.45 m CSIO3*-W Big Tour also served as a qualifier for Sunday’s Grand Prix. A quality field of 79 riders participated in the competition presented by V-Híd Zrt.
The 500-meter course, designed by Italian Elio Travagliati, featured 12 obstacles requiring considerable effort, giving the riders a preview of what to expect in Sunday’s Grand Prix. The first steep and the combination in front of the VIP zone were the causes of the most of the penalties, but even so, 14 clear rounds were completed.
The competition closed with a Latvian victory. Kristaps Neretnieks, a regular rider in the CSIO competitions in the Budapest National Riding Hall, started fourth, took the lead with a fast ride, and kept it until the end.
Tamás Mráz on Cornet Champion-N finished second, just over a second behind. The Hungarian rider and horse pair can still be very proud of themselves, as they managed to defeat Max Kühner, the rider from Austria. Fourteenth in the world ranking, he rode EIC Quantum Robin V this time.
Fourth place went to German Michael Viehweg on Cyrill, followed by Bianca Babanitz (AUT) on Cantinoso, and Bruno Chimirri (ITA) on Tinkabelle RS.
Kerstin Weber congratulated the riders on behalf of the jury. The riders also received special prizes from Rita Szokolai, representing Imperial Horse Feeds.
Photo: CSIO Budapest / CSIO Budapest / Krisztina Hajdu
Main sponsor of the event is the Szerencsejáték Zrt.
