Edited press release from National Riding Hall - Hungary

Thursday's featured event in Budapest was the CSIO3* Grand Prix presented by the Ministry of Defense. Riders from 15 countries lined up for the €52,000, 150m competition in sweltering 36-degree Celsius heat.

Swiss course designer Julien Pradervand built 13 obstacles with 16 efforts at the challenging track where spectators had to wait until the 13th starter to see the first clear round. The most fences fell at a fragile vertical and in the triple jump.

Dutch rider Wout-Jan van der Schans rode the first clear within the time limit on 11-year-old A S Bombay (Diamant de Semilly x Contender). The next perfect ride was showcased by Brazil's Matheus Correa with Zeus (Cartogran x Chacco-Blue8, owned by Hungarian Csilla Lévai. Then Jörne Sprehe, a regular and successful German participant in Hungarian competitions, took the lead with a lightning fast ride on Hot Easy (Andiamo Z x Otangelo). Swiss rider Thibaut Keller and Dutch rider Demi van Grunsven also left the course with no penalties. The seventh rider who made it to the jump off was Angelos Touloupis representing Greece. 

Seven obstacles and eight efforts had to be overcome on the 300-meter course of the jump-off. Despite the extreme heat, and a technical and testing first round, several riders were able to make clear rounds again.

Wout-Jan van der Schans, the first starter in the jump-off, stopped the clock at 42.18 seconds. The second rider, Matheus Correa on Zeus, could not make is faster than the Dutch pair. Then came Jörne Sprehe and took the lead with another quick clear in 41.15. She seemed to prevail until the last rider, Angelos Touloupis with Lord Mexx (Larimar 7 x Coriano), posted not only a double clear, but was faster than any other rider in 40.62 seconds.

The special prize of the Ministry of Defense was awarded to the placed riders by Gábor Schmidt, Deputy State Secretary for Sport. The winners were also presented a valuable glazed horse statue and the two porcelain vases by Bachar Najari, majority owner of Hungarian Zsolnay Porcelain Manufactory Zrt. Vilmos Lázár, President of the Hungarian Equestrian Federation, also congratulated the winners.