The Terremoto rock, with the mare ‘Retama’, was yesterday the fastest in the Wine Horse Race. The horsemen Juan Carlos López, Miguel Reina, Jesús Manuel Martínez and José María Sánchez, attached to the mare, owned by Fernando Fernández, achieved a time of 8 seconds 155 thousandths. The second fastest horse was ‘Ansemil’, owned by Artesano, who achieved a mark of 8 seconds and 282 thousandths. This last club continues to hold the record with this same horse of 7 seconds and 713 thousandths. In the last three editions of the Wine Horse Race, the first marks were achieved by two mares: this year, ‘Retama’, and in 2022 and in 2019, ‘Bulería’, from Calimocho. With yesterday’s victory, the winning club of this edition managed to place itself in eighth place among the best times since data on this emblematic festival, declared Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by Unesco, has been preserved. After two years of suspension due to the pandemic and the storm of water and hail that fell on the city last year when the race was being held, there was a desire to experience an edition without major shocks.
The Amazona Mayor of the Bando de los Caballos del Vino suffered a mishap early in the morning. Her horse did a strange thing and the young woman fell to the ground, requiring a transfer to the hospital for an emergency treatment. Rosalía Dólera grew up and got on her animal again to participate in the parade to the basilica. Together with the horsemen of the Historical Horse, she entered, walking with some difficulty, to the interior of the temple.
since dawn
The bells of the parish church of El Salvador began the day. At four in the morning they turned for the first time. While their sounds were heard in all corners of the city, the 60 clubs prepared their horses to place the harness pieces on them in a ceremonial and meticulous process that would turn them into wine horses. The day progressed and little by little history, passion, beauty and courage began to take over the municipality of Vera Cruz.
At seven in the morning, with the first light of dawn, the bells tolled again at the same time that thousands of rockets crashed into the sky of the basilica announcing that the great day had arrived. The city once again opened its doors wide to receive thousands of visitors, who gathered together with many residents to participate in all the activities scheduled for the day.
Wrapped in this symphony of bells and rockets, the streets and squares were already abuzz with caravaqueños preparing to participate in the rituals that recreate medieval history. Faithful to their appointment for 50 years, the El Café rock, whose members travel annually from Benidorm, distributed cakes and coffee, with a little aniseed to all those who approached the Plaza Nueva, in the vicinity of the parish of The Savior.
The official delegation, led by the older brother, Luis Melgarejo, and the mayor of Caravaca, José Francisco García, stopped at this small square. A few minutes later he went to the monastery of Santa Clara, on Calle de Las Monjas, to collect the tray of flowers from the prioress. Melgarejo left the monastery carrying the offering accompanied by the alderman, and both headed down Calle Mayor towards the Temple, where the traditional Apparition Mass was celebrated.
The flower tray was once again present, as in recent years, inside the pavilion, where the Moorish Kings, Francisco Martínez and Julia Martínez, occupied a prominent place; the Christian Monarchs, Roberto Mateo and Patricia Fernández. At the end of the religious service, the parade of the Wine Horses began. The supporters clubs made a tour of the areas of the historic center to return later to the Temple and wait again until they start the itinerary along Calle Mayor. The procession reached the Cuesta del Castillo, where the long-awaited race was to be held. The Moorish kabilas and Christian groups, accompanying Sultans and Kings, also carried out their parade, which ended on the esplanade of the basilica, at the foot of the Vera Cruz.
After them, the authorities went to the church of San José, on Calle Mayor, where they proceeded to collect the flower tray that the older brother took to the Esquina de la Muerte to deliver it there, at the beginning of the Cuesta del Castillo , Mayor. Subsequently, the first mayor led her inside the basilica, where the blessing of wine and flowers took place by the rector of the temple, the priest Emilio Sánchez.
The Historical Horse raised the skins with the wine, which once offered to the Vera Cruz was blessed with the Sacred Relic. Later it served to consecrate the flowers placed on the altar in the center of the temple and all those that the day before were offered to the Vera Cruz in the ceremony held on the esplanade.
Among the authorities who gathered in Caravaca de la Cruz to attend these rituals were the government delegate, Caridad Rives; the president of the Community, Fernando López Miras, and the Secretary of State for Telecommunications, María González Veracruz, in addition to other political leaders at the regional and municipal level. López Miras assured that “the entire Region feels like Caravaca today. It is a day of celebration in which we show the whole world the greatness of the Wine Horses, and we are more proud than ever of our identity, our traditions and our culture”.
harnessing awards
Shortly before eight in the evening, the president of the Bando de los Caballos del Vino, Francisco Javier Gallego, with the esplanade of the basilica full of horsemen, announced that the first prize for harnessing had gone to the Universo rock. Second place went to Al-Bino and third to Terry. The fourth was Whimsical; and the fifth, Jupiter.
The La Pastora and Panterry supporters clubs rose to the third block; to the second block, Terremoto and Gacel; and to the first block, Zuagir and Solterón-Triana
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