Jaroslaw Skrzyczynski of Poland claimed the CSI4* € 92.100 Grand Prix presented by Energochemica on Sunday afternoon, in front of a packed house at the X-BIONIC® Indoor Master in Šamorín, Slovakia. 

Riding Mariola Dyrek’s 9-year-old OS mare Chacclana (Chacco-Blue x Capilano), Skrzyczynski topped a 49-horse field over a  challenging 1.60m track set by Italy’s Pier Francesco Bazzocchi. First to go in the order, Skrzyczynski became the first rider to qualify for the jump-off, with 18 competitors following him before a second clear round came. Many pairs fell victim to multiple rails in the second half of Bazzocchi’s 13-obstacle course, with the triple combination and final line, which offered both four- and five-stride options, causing the greatest difficulty.

In total, seven riders mastered the course to compete in the second round, with Skrzyczynski once again returning at the top of the order. Finding two inside turns, the Polish rider and Chacclana stopped the clock at 38.23 seconds, setting a high bar for the remaining competitors to follow. Wilm Vermeir of Belgium and Max Kühner of Austria ultimately bested Skrzyczynski’s time, but knocked a rail apiece, finishing fourth and fifth respectively. Last to go, two-time German Olympian Katharina Offel opted for a more conservative track with JK Horsetrucks Leasure Z (Levisto Z x Treasure Z), taking third place with 48.45 seconds. Belgium’s Dominique Hendrickx, who previously won the CSI4* Energochemica Grand Prix during the X-BIONIC® Summer Tour in July, posted a close time of 38.38 seconds with Kannabis van de Bucxtale (Contact van de Heffinck x Concorde) to finish as runner-up.

Skrzyczynski, who competed in the 2014 FEI World Equestrian GamesTM in Normandy and at FEI World CupTM Finals in Göteborg in 2013 and 2016, has been paired with Chacclana since 2015, producing her up through the ranks himself. The 2018 season has been a breakout year for the pair, who finished third in the CSIO5* Longines Grand Prix of Sopot in June, and third in the CSI5* Grand Prix of Waregem in September.