Edited press release from CSIO Roma Piazza di Siena 2024

Belgium’s Zoe Conter and Lazy, Dutchman Willem Greve and Grandorado TN N.O.P. and the home side’s Emanuele Gaudiano aboard Jaja stole the limelight on day three of CSIO Rome - Master d’Inzeo 2024 at Piazza di Siena today where the enthusiastic crowd enjoyed another superb day of showjumping sport.

Conter and her amusingly-named mare, Lazy (Hickstead x Cruising), got the action off to a flying start when taking the 1.45m KEP Italia Speed class by storm. The Belgian rider was 40th to go on the start-list of 47 and left the rest floundering in her wake when breaking the beam in 58.85 seconds. 

The United Arab Emirates’ Abdullah Humaid Al Muhairi gave it his best shot with the 13-year-old gelding Coenig (Cordobes I x Baloubet du Rouet) when third-last into the ring, but his time of 60.60 seconds left him well short of that target when slotting into runner-up spot, while first-day winners Emeric George and Gloria Mercoeur (Windows vh Costersveld x Jarnac) took third for France in 60.62 seconds.

This was a landmark win for Conter. She had a bad fall in Rome on her first visit in 2018 but the eldest daughter of Stephex Stables’ Stephan Conter is made of tough stuff and recovered from a serious neck injury to get back in the saddle five months later. So today’s win was very special. “This is my very first win here, I’ve been coming for many years now but I must say I’ve been having a really good show this year!”, she said.

Then Dutchman Willem Greve and the 13-year-old stallion Grandorado TN N.O.P. (Eldorado vd Zeshoek x Carolus II) gave a demonstration of pure class to win this afternoon’s 1.55m Loro Piana Trophy in which 14 qualified for the second-round jump-off.

Second to go against the clock, 32-year-old Italian Giacomo Bassi, set the early target when bringing the 10-year-old stallion, Cape Cod (Tornesch 1042 x Kashmir van Schuttershof), home and clear in 36.79 seconds and, try as they would, those that followed found it impossible until Greve set off with eight left to go.

And he gave an exhibition of cool, classic riding as his majestic Dutch-bred stallion cruised around the course without ever looking under the slightest pressure to shave almost a full second off the target time when stopping the clock on 36.01 seconds.

The penultimate pair into the ring, Germany’s Mario Stevens and the 10-year-old gelding Starissa FRH (Stakkato Gold x Quidam's Rubin), pushed Bassi down to third place when fractionally faster in 36.75 seconds, but Greve’s victory never looked in any doubt. The 40-year-old rider was delighted with his result with the horse with which he won the Rolex Grand Prix on home ground at the Dutch Masters in ’s-Hertogenbosch in March.  

Talking about Grandorado he said, “his big step was a big advantage, so I just turned short everywhere. I rode fence one to two in seven strides (many others tried it in six) just to keep the shape, and he does it very easy so I’m very proud of him - he’s such a very great horse!”, said the rider who has his sights firmly set on a place with this horse on the Dutch team at Olympic Games this summer.

Gaudiano closed the day with a foot-perfect run through four tough rounds to win the Loro Piana Six-Bar this evening. Partnering the 10-year-old grey gelding Jaja (Zirocco Blue VDL x Baloubet du Rouet) with which he won yesterday’s Telepass Accumulator he was pitted against only one rival going into the final round when the last in the line of obstacles stood at a massive 1.95m. 

Once again Jaja left all the timber intact, and although Irish team-member Daniel Coyle is something of a Puissance specialist this was his first international Six-Bar challenge and when his 10-year-old mare, Lena, clipped the very last for four faults he had to settle for runner-up spot behind the Italian who was celebrating the third Six-Bar win of his career at Piazza di Siena.

Attention now turns to tomorrow’s much-anticipated Rolex Grand Prix which offers a handsome €500,000 in prizemoney and which is the first leg of the brand new Rolex series which was officially launched in Rome on Thursday.

A total of 50 horse-and-rider partnerships will battle it out for the prestigious title which was first won in 1926 by Poland’s Adam Krolikiewicz and Picador and last won 12 months ago by Germany’s Andre Thieme and DSP Chakaria.