Mr. President STH, L’Avion, Kalisto, Nautilus, Horizonte Win 2021 Spanish Young Horse Championships

Thu, 10/07/2021 - 20:01
2021 Spanish Young Horse Championships
Carlos Bayo and Mr President STH win the 4-year old division at the 2021 Spanish Young Horse Championships :: Photo © Lily Forado

The 4-year old Mr. President STH, the 5-year old L’Avion, the 6-year old Kalisto, the 7-year old Nautilus and the developing Prix St. Georges horse Horizonte became the grand champions of the 2021 Spanish Young Horse Championships held in Las Cadenas (Madrid), Spain, on 23 - 26 September 2021.

The level presented was once again impressive  with a large collection of 80% scoring horses. Two riders stood out more than the rest: José Antonio García Mena got his own collection of gold medals, with two of them round his neck,  and Claudio Castilla came home with two bronze medals.

European warmbloods once again dominated over the domestic PRE breed. This year 149 horses competed in the Nationals, with the Hanoverian breed best represent (34), followed by KPWN (30), Oldenburg (21), CDE (16), PRE (14) and Lusitano (12). Interestingly, 25% of the medals were won by Lusitanos!

4-YO: Mr. President STH Starts Command

A year after winning his first 4-year old title, Carlos Bayo regained the same glory but with a different horse. The Madrid rider, who trains under the guidance of Juan Antonio Jiménez, dominated in round 1 with a powerful 84,000%. In the finale, the KWPN  bred Mr. President STH (by I’m Perfect STH x Voice) could not repeat the feat of the first place, but his overall count of 299,600 points turned out to be the golden total for Bayo's second gold medal in a row. Carlos was one of the shooting stars last season, but this year he has once again proven his great versatility and expertise in young horses. His second gold medal is no coincidence.

Antonio Jose Vazquez on Flanell
With a difference of 14 points, the silver medal went to Antonio José Vázquez. The rider from the Canary islands stole the show with Hudson M a few seasons ago, and now is back on track  with two new prospects. One of them is the Hanoverian Flanell (by Flanell x Hohenstein).  In the first qualifier the judges dropped  him to the fourteenth position with 72,400%. The radical turn came in the finale, because he moved to first place. Trusting his training, Antonio José Vázquez presented the horse in the same way as round one, but this time climbed more than 13 positions and won the finals with an impressive  88,400%. The horse shone and was awarded with multiple nines: walk, submission and perspective. The trot was awarded with an 8.7 and the canter with an 8.5. The overall 285,400% helped him to secure the silver medal.

Antonio Verdejo and the KWPN bred Mambeau (by Franklin x Stedinger) secured the bronze medal. From his fifth position in the preliminary test to eighth in the finale, this bronze medal was the rider's second medal in his professional career.

5-YO: L'Avion Takes Off

Manuel Perez Valle on L'Avion
Manuel Pérez Valle and L’Avion (by Livaldon x Longchamp) were a league of their own finishing at the top of the leader board, far ahead of all competition.  His supremacy in the 5-year old category was huge, unseating the second placed pair with a difference of 19 points (394,600%)

L’Avion took off from day one and landed on Sunday with the Spanish title for 5-year olds. The head rider of Yeguada Sola Nogales, Manuel Pérez Valle sealed a golden hattrick with great ease and with averages above 88%. The Hanoverian impressed with its quality of gaits, and particular the uphill canter. They didn’t attend the championship's past edition, but at this one they swept the board and shone brightly. With this medal, Manuel Pérez Valle begins his collection of medals and it is the icing of the cake of his work these past years.

Spanish Under 25 team rider Alba Abollo and the CDE bred mare Diva Hit CS (by Delinger x Sancisco) stood in second position of the podium.  Abollo is not a stranger to the Young Horses championships. With her Under 25 partner in crime  Elvillar CS she climbed the podium in 2014 (4-year-old category) and in 2016 (6-year-old category). In this year's edition, she and her ballerina Diva Hit CS remained in second position in the three qualifiers. Her consistency was the best award, the one that earned her the silver medal. Diva Hit CS received a 10 in the walk.

The winning trio was completed by Juan Manuel Acosta with Mentor B (by Marques x Fidertanz). His bronze medal (364,400%) is a clear example to never give up. Their  performances went from less to more. In the first qualifying he placed fifth, then dropped to twelfth, to finish in the final with a second position on 84,600 points. Juan Manuel Acosta added bronze to his expanding collection.

6-YO: Hat-Trick for Kalisto

Samuel Delgado on Kalisto
The 6-year-old category was the one that showcased a titanic fight for silver and bronze, but the leader was clear from day one. Achieving a triple victory, the KWPN bred Kalisto (by Expression x San Amour I) paved his golden path really easily. Samuel Delgado's ability in this championship was remarkable. The rider started off as one of the favourites, but everything can happen. That being said and done, he rode every test with ease and determination. Breaking record after record and scoring above 83%, he  steered to victory with a massive  total of 379,900 points. This golden medal was the culmination of the 2021 season, the gold medal that has provided Samuel a place into the select club of Spanish Champions.

José Alejandro Alcaide with Laurin (by Lemony's Nicket x Furst Heinrich) were the runners-up with 361,000% points . The Andalusian rider made a huge climb.  From tenth position, he placed second and ended up in fourth position in the last round.  Laurin was one of the sensations of the show. He has it all: beauty and movement.

Claudio Castilla and the Lusitano Luiki (by Unico x Quixote) collected bronze after two rounds scoring above 80%.  The Olympic rider started with the foot off the pedal, but then in the second and third qualifier Luiki exhibited the great quality as Unico's son. At the end, the finesse, delicacy and elegance presented were a demonstration of great rideability .

7-YO: Nautilus Reconquers Gold

Jose Antonio Mena on Nautilus
The 7-year-old category presented a lot of big names. The cards were on the table and each of them performed their tests at great level, but at the end the big fight was:  Sansibar vs Nautilus.

José Antonio García Mena with the Trakehner Nautilus (by Connery x Latimer) took the lead in the first qualifier (76,543%), but Roberto Carlos and the Hanoverian Sansibar (by San Amour x Fidermark) took the spotlight and won the second round (79,268%). Everything went down to the finale which became extremely decisive for  determining the overall winner.

The first to compete was Sansibar. His test was flawless. The black horse displayed all his charm and each of his strides was pure poetry. He was rewarded with a 79,486%. Last to go,  José Antonio García Mena and Nautilus went for it. Nautilus flowed on the trot part, but the second canter pirouette was too big. His final average of 78.543% was not enough to beat Sansibar in the class.

Numbers never fail and neither does math and coefficients.  While last season Nautilus was behind Sansibar, this year the positions were turned. Nautilus became champion of Spain (351.540%), thus improving one position compared to last season. Mena proved again his great talent, not only with upper level trained horses, but with young ones too, showcasing his great training system. With an ephemeral difference of 0.134 points, Roberto Carlos and Sansibar placed second with 351,406%.

Claudio Castilla and the Lusitano Jota Da Hermida (by Unico x Oficial) finished on the bronze step of the podium with solid scores of 73,607%, 74,075% and 73,372%.

Developing PSG: Mena's Second Gold on Horizonte

Jose Antonio Mena on Horizonte
In the Developing Prix St Georges horse division for 8 and 9-year olds,  29 combinations lined up. The combinations competed in three rounds consisting of the Young Rider Preliminary test, the Prix St Georges and a PSG freestyle.

The joys for José Antonio García Mena did not stop. The Spanish Olympic rider earned his second title with the Lusitano bred Horizonte (by Rico x Icaro). The rider from Medina Sidonia had the summer of a lifetime: the Olympics, European Championships, Aachen and now the two golden medals. Borrowing the music of Concha Navarro and Dimero, Mena rode to the melodies of Grease which highlighted the strides of Horizonte with joy and great harmony. Their 79.820% kur score was the great culmination of three days. Winning a gold medal is always special, but winning two is something magical and very difficult to achieve. For Mena, September 26 will always be a day to remember. Mena and Horizonte won two of the three rounds with solid scores above seventy.

Juan Matute and the Baden Wurttemberger bred Birkin (Bretton Woods x Laurentio) came into the second place (323,737%) while Alfonso Gormaz with the KWPN bred I (El Capone x JetSet D) closed the podium with 320,373%

Text and Photos © Lily Forado - visit www.lilyforado.com for more photos from this event

Results - 2021 Spanish Young Horse Championships - Madrid

4-year olds

  • 1. Mr President Sth  -  Carlos Bayo Calvo    84,000%    86,800% ----   299,600%   
  • 2. Flanell - Antonio José Vázquez Quintero    72,400%    88,400%   ----     285,400%
  • 3. Mambeau B -   Antonio Verdejo Pérez    79,600%    80,600%   ----     280,600%  
  • 4. Frederick  -  Alfonso Gormaz Torcal    75,000%    83,200%  ----      278,900%    
  • 5. Messi by Mango  -  Antonio José Vázquez Quintero    81,200%    78,000%  ----      277,800%    
  • 6. Best of   - Juan De Dios Ramírez García    81,000%    78,000%   ----     277,500%    
  • 7. Maas Ter Kwincke -   Alfonso Gormaz Torcal    74,400%    82,800%   ----     277,200%    
  • 8. Little by Little  -  Rubén Costa Giner    75,200%    81,600%     ----   276,000%    
  • 9. D´huelva Tr   - Juan Manuel Acosta Ponce    80,800%    76,400% ----       274,000%    
  • 10. Fame and Glory   - María Gómez Guzmán    73,200%    81,600%  ----      273,000%    
  • 11. Tiana 2m2  -  Rubén Costa Giner    76,400%    77,200%   ----    269,000%    
  • 12. Macgyver L.e.  -  Juan Francisco Fernández Muñoz    71,000%    81,200%   ----    268,900%    
  • 13. Fairplay -   Ramón Navarro Parra    78,200%    75,200%   ----     267,700%    
  • 14. Niro Das Figueiras   - Antonio Verdejo Pérez    77,400%    75,600%   ----    267,300%    
  • 15. Flynn  -  Víctor López Pérez    72,600%    78,400%   ----     265,700%    
  • 16. Neron  -  Manuel García González    71,200%    79,200%   ----     265,200%    
  • 17. Nobel Das Figueiras  -  Antonio Verdejo Pérez    71,000%    77,400%  ----      261,300%    
  • 18. Rock Island   - Cristina Khamidoulin    71,200%    76,200%   ----     259,200%

5-year olds

  • 1. L'avion Sn  -  Manuel Pérez Valle    88,000%    88,400%    87,000%   ----     394,600%
  • 2. Diva Hit Cs  -  Alba Abollo Fontela    86,200%    83,600%    78,600%    ----   368,800%
  • 3. Mentor B  -  Juan Manuel Acosta Ponce    83,600%    74,400%    84,600%      ----  364,400%
  • 4. Ll Cool J -   Juan De Dios Ramírez García    84,800%    76,400%    80,800%    ----   361,000%    
  • 5. Mohikaner  -  Rosendo Delas Llorens    81,600%    80,400%    77,900%    ----   358,000%    
  • 6. Lord Sunshine -   Lucas Elías Lara    85,200%    80,000%    74,900%   ----     355,000%    
  • 7. Fabio Castello Sn  -  Manuel Pérez Valle    76,200%    78,600%    79,200%   ----     352,500%    
  • 8. Slaughter Jb  -  José Germán Martínez González    80,000%    77,600%    75,400%    ----   347,200%    
  • 9. Legacy -   Javier Sanz Barroso    78,600%    79,000%    74,400%     ----   345,900%    
  • 10. Lance -   Alejandro Oliva Lázaro    80,000%    72,000%    76,200%     ----   340,400%    
  • 11. Fraggle Rock   - Juan Francisco Fernández Muñoz    78,800%    74,400%    74,400%    ----   339,200%    
  • 12. Drago  -  Alfonso Expósito Santiso    75,400%    75,800%    75,000%     ----   339,100%    
  • 13. Frankie Blue Bcn  -  Núria Vilà Pérez    78,200%    73,100%    74,400%   ----     336,650%    
  • 14. Lavendel  -  Antonio Vivancos Cervantes    78,600%    72,600%    74,000%    ----   335,500%    
  • 15. Sir Rubino  -  Andrés Cepeda Moreno    79,200%    70,200%    74,600%   ----     333,700%    
  • 16. Aranykapu Close  -  David Bonmati Lavado    78,000%    71,200%    72,200%    ----   329,200%    

6-year olds

  • 1. Kalisto  -  Samuel Delgado Mateos    84,200%    85,400%    83,800%  ----     379,900% 
  • 2. Laurin -   José Alejandro Alcaide Roda    77,000%    82,400%    80,200%   ----    361,000%
  • 3. Liuki  -  Claudio Castilla Ruiz    77,000%    80,400%    80,600%      ---- 358,800%
  • 4. Semino Sn  -  Manuel Pérez Valle    79,800%    79,800%    79,600%   ----    358,700%    
  • 5. Danbury  -  Carlos Bayo Calvo    72,300%    78,400%    83,600%    ----   357,100%    
  • 6. Dimancier Sn  -  Manuel Pérez Valle    80,800%    77,600%    78,200%     ----  353,600%    
  • 7. Fenicia Sn -   Manuel Pérez Valle    78,600%    79,000%    76,800%     ----  350,700%    
  • 8. Delhi  -  Agustín García Garrido    80,600%    79,000%    74,800%    ----   348,700%    
  • 9. Fuengirola  -  Alejandro Sánchez Del Barco    79,800%    79,600%    74,400%      ---- 348,000%    
  • 10. Schezuan  -  Alejandro Oliva Lázaro    74,100%    76,800%    79,200%   ----    347,700%    
  • 11. Dario Cr -   María Culsan Pérez    77,400%    80,800%    73,000%    ----   344,600%    
  • 12. Klungel -  Lucas Fernández Valdeolivas    78,200%    78,000%    74,200%   ----    343,600%    
  • 13. Limbro Da Hermida  -  Claudio Castilla Ruiz    72,200%    76,400%    77,600%   ----    342,000%    
  • 14. Viriathus Van Gc -   Óscar González Sanz    77,800%    78,800%    71,800%    ----   339,600%    
  • 15. For Austrius -   Marta Peña Montaner    76,600%    76,800%    73,600%     ----  339,000%    
  • 16. Kim Tarka  -  Javier Higuera Carmona    77,000%    74,400%    74,400%     ----  337,400%    
  • 17. Gumilas  -  Diana Ostariz Oliver    76,600%    73,600%    73,600%    ----   334,200%    
  • 18. Kees Van Elzberg  -  Ángel Antonio Ortega Torres    74,600%    75,200%    72,800%    ----   333,000%    

7-year olds

  • 1. Nautilus  -  José Antonio García Mena    76,543%    78,607%    78,543%    ----   351,540%
  • 2. Sansibar   - Roberto Carlos Cruz Rodríguez    73,532%    79,268%    79,486%    ----   351,406%
  • 3. Jota Da Hermida -   Claudio Castilla Ruiz    73,607%    74,075%    73,372%    ----   331,464%
  • 4. Quartar  -  Alejandro Oliva Lázaro    72,957%    73,075%    73,114%    ----   328,798%    
  • 5. For Naja -   Jesús Sánchez Martín    72,590%    72,400%    73,586%    ----   328,362%    
  • 6. Jessica  -  Antonio Verdejo Pérez    69,886%    69,872%    74,014%    ----   322,722%    
  • 7. Sydney  -  Susana Vázquez Mostaza    73,278%    70,550%    70,900%    ----   320,903%    
  • 8. Banduendo -   Gustavo Artillo Linares    71,814%    69,593%    72,300%    ----   320,804%    
  • 9. Sarokki  -  Carlos Bayo Calvo    69,993%    70,407%    70,914%    ----   317,432%    
  • 10. Jarabe Do Sobral  -  Pedro Hernández Triviño    66,200%    71,250%    70,528%    ----   314,131%    
  • 11. Teatrero De Centurion  -  Joseph Robert Hunt    66,822%    69,054%    71,272%   ----    312,947%    
  • 12. Quidam Royal Old  -  Álvaro Gómez Pavón    68,186%    69,200%    69,243%     ----  310,472%    
  • 13. Altanero Cciii  -  Samuel López Candel    67,146%    69,104%    69,100%   ----    309,002%    
  • 14. Jesperado   - Brigitte Van Der Hagen Nijst    68,518%    67,193%    69,257%    ----   307,822%    
  • 15. Garzo  -  Andrés Cepeda Moreno    68,996%    68,082%    67,386%    ----   305,891%    
  • 16. Jonas De Gea -   Mikel Ochotorena Araiz    68,540%    67,418%    67,100%    ----   303,867%    
  • 17. Jiddo  -  José Gálvez González    69,614%    66,504%    67,043%  ----     303,456%    
  • 18. Junco Da Broa  -  Juan Francisco Fernández Muñoz    67,632%    68,246%    64,300%     ----  298,601%    

Developing PSG

  • 1. Horizonte   - José Antonio García Mena        69,792%    72,412%    79,820%   ----   338,050%
  • 2. Birkin   - Juan Pablo Matute Guimon        70,573%    70,029%    74,060%    ----   323,737%
  • 3. I   - Alfonso Gormaz Torcal        70,833%    69,000%    73,020%    ----   320,373%  
  • 4. Quarlito Von Nymphenburg -   Juan De Dios Ramírez García    67,292%    68,618%    72,700%  ----     315,619%    
  • 5. Shadow  -  María Carnerero Morente      68,177%    68,206%    72,155%    ----   314,796%    
  • 6. Hermes De Encinasola   - Rafael Adrián Heredia Muñoz        67,708%    69,235%    70,650%   ----   312,861%    
  • 7. Honneur Stm -   Manuel Pérez Valle        69,063%    68,177%    70,135%    ----   311,599%    
  • 8. Solano De Centurion  -  Juan Manuel Galeano Cerezo        69,062%    69,000%    68,940%    ----   310,442%    
  • 9. Yelmo Azores -   Juan De Dios Ramírez García        66,927%    67,647%    69,380%    ----   307,158%    
  • 10. Quincallo De Indalo Ii  -  Alejandro Sánchez Del Barco  65,260%    67,706%    69,850%    ----   306,519%    
  • 11. Florida -   Carmen Getino Gutiérrez        66,458%    67,235%    68,990%   ----    305,291%    
  • 12. Importante Ii   - Rafael Soto Andrade   66,250%    69,029%    67,730%    ----   305,254%    
  • 13. Truco -   Luis Carlos García Domínguez   64,740%    67,765%    69,365%    ----   305,118%    
  • 14. Icaro -  Emma Pla González        66,771%    66,294%    69,045%   ----    304,302%    
  • 15. Hip by Jonhson -  Lucía Gallardo Muñoz     66,979%    65,441%    67,990%     ----  301,121%    
  • 16. Impossebel  -  Arturo Díaz Mellado        65,052%    68,118%    66,300%    ----   299,829%    
  • 17. Zagal Azores  -  Jenni Matilda Schmechel    64,687%    66,294%    67,650%   ----    299,428%    
  • 18. Onelli  -  José Manuel Quilis Galán        64,167%    66,677%    67,080%   ----    298,343%    

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