Rakesh Kumar (on Absolute Sally) and Ashish Malik (Veni Vedi Vici) gained an edge over three Indian riders in their bid to secure berths in the Indian Asian Games Eventing squad with 35.7 and 37.8 penalties respectively in Dressage on the opening day of the CCI2*-Long Eventing competition in the Maarbergen Horse Trials 2023 in the Netherlands on Thursday.
Apurva Dabhade, who was second on the Merit list approved by the Committee of Experts and pleaded with the Federation to have only four riders at the National Camp, finished with 39 penalties. Vikas Kumar (Noreway Harry) and Raju Singh (Louk) ended up with 39.2 penalties and 41.3 penalties respectively.
None of the five combinations, featuring Indian riders, can meet the Minimum Eligibility Requirement (MER) set for the individual event in the Asian Games at 34 penalties. With the Cross Country and Jumping tests slated for Friday and Saturday, it remains to be seen which of the five combinations meets the MER for team set at 43 penalties.
EFI has not made public its selection process after riders who had toiled with their mounts in the selection trials in India were forced to shift base to Europe after it realise it could not send horses based in India to the Asian Games. It insisted Dressage rider Gaurav Pundir had to secure an EFI laid down MER in his first competition in Europe, but no such stipulation has been made for the Eventing riders.
Ashish Malik was also entered to ride on Geriko des Frottards, not named in the Long list published by the International Equestrian Federation (FEI), but withdrew the entry ahead of the competition. FEI has allowed teams to change horses till July 15, 2023, its last date for National Olympic Committees to send the final entries.
It is not known why the other Indian riders who had been entered with two horses each in the Asian Games long list did not compete on their second horses in the Maarbergen Horse Trials. Ashish Limaye, who topped the Merit list and has been in good form on Willy Be Dun in the CCI2*-Short events, did not compete in Maarbergen.
Curiously, combining with Veni Vedi Vici when he was attempting the MER set by the Equestrian Federation of India in 2022 before the Asian Games were put off, Chirag Khandal had 32.4 and 33.6 penalties in Saumur (April 27) and Jardy (May 6). For reasons best known to the horse owner did not lease Veni Vedi Vici to the Indian youngster as promised but lent it to Ashish Malik.
The only other rider-horse combination aiming to be at the Asian Games and competing in Maarsbergen Horse Trials 2023, Thailand’s Korntawat Samran and Billy Elmy, secured a score of 67.84 percent to finish the Dressage round with 32.2 penalties. It may be a good indication of things to come in Hangzhou where India will be without its best rider, Fouaad Mirza.
Host China, 2018 Asian Games Champion Japan and Thailand will post the most formidable challenges while Chinese Taipei and Uzbekistan will be the other contenders in Hangzhou.
Photo: Courtesy Maarsbergen Horse Trials 2023
