Edited press release from CSIO Roma - Piazza di Siena 

In a thrilling competition that went right down to the wire, Laura Kraut on Bisquetta (Bisquet Balou C x Takashi van Berkenbroek), Lillie Keenan on Kick On (Warrior x Caretino Glory), Karl Cook on Caracole de La Roque (Zandor x Kannan) and McLain Ward aboard Imperial HBF (Glasgow vh Merelsnest) clinched the coveted CSIO5* 1.60m Intesa Sanpaolo Nations Cup title for the USA for the sixth time in the long and distinguished history of CSIO Rome at Piazza di Siena.

This was Team USA’s sixth victory in the long history of this great event in the heart of Rome. But they had to fight every inch of the way, with the French side of Nina Mallevaey on Nikka vd Bisschop (Emerald x Nabab de Reve), Olivier Perreau on GL Events Dorai D’Aiguilly (Kannan x Toulon), Antoine Ermann on Floyd des Pres (Vigo Cece x Papillon Rouge) and Kevin Staut a aboard Visconti du Telman (Toulon x Dollar du Murier) keeping up the pressure to the very end.

The Americans last won in 2009 when Kraut was also on the team with her great grey legend, Cedric, while Ward was in the US side that won in 1997 partnering Twist du Valon.

To the delight of the Roman crowd, Team Italy’s Giacomo Casadei on Marbella du Chabi (Elvis Ter Putte x Nabab de Reve),  Emanuele Gaudiano on Chalou’s Love PS (Diablo Blanco x Conterno-Grande), Paolo Paini on Casal Dorato (Casalito x Tamino Di Villa Emilia) and Giulia Martinengo Marquet aboard Delta Del’Isle (Tibet Tame x Grain de Soleil) edged Germany out for third place.

Keeping spectators on the edges of their seats, the final result all hinged on the very last man into the ring. A fence down and the USA would be forced into a jump-off with the French who were carrying eight faults. But the multi-medalled McLain Ward held his nerve to deliver his second clear round of the day to maintain his country’s first-round four-fault tally and clinch the coveted trophy in style.

Ten teams started the first round but Argentina and the United Arab Emirates didn’t make the cut into round two which turned into a mighty battle between the Americans and the French.

It seemed it could go either way, with double-clears from both pathfinder Nina Mallevaey and Nikka vd Bisschop as well as Antoine Ermann aboard Floyd des Pres underpinning the strong French effort that left them with a final total of eight faults. But in the end Team USA clinched the top step of the podium when Ward’s second clear left them carrying just four faults at the end of the day.

As US Chef d’Equipe said afterwards, it was no walk-in-the-park.

“It was a tough slog from the very beginning”, Robert Ridland pointed out. “We drew first in the order and we were hoping that would stay true in the end but it certainly wasn’t easy. After the first round we knew what we had to do in the second round, and as that was unfolding we weren’t really creating much of a gap so we were prepared for a jump-off - but one way or another we were going to try to win this thing!”

Ward, a member of the winning team in 1997, talked about today’s 12-fence track that proved quite a challenge. “Uliano (Vezzani) as a course designer always allows us to ride, it’s not about tricks and it’s not hiding jumps. But you had some bold fences, the wall, the triple out of the corner with the chariot in the way - that’s a little bit of a treat here! And then the last line was shifting away from the side, very delicate and that’s always a challenge. This is Rome, an iconic event, and it should be difficult," the current world number eight pointed out.

Ward was delighted by the fault-free day for his new ride, Imperial HBF. “This is actually my first 1.60m course with him, I just got him in February, Tim Gredley did an incredible job bringing this horse to the highest levels of the sport," he said. 

Lillie Keenan was full of praise for her horse, Kick On. “He’s really gone from strength to strength, I took him to the World Cup Finals not long ago and that was at that stage the biggest thing he’d ever seen, and really going into today he rose to the occasion and I’m so proud of him!”, she said.

Karl Cook is no stranger to success at Piazza di Siena after winning last year’s Rolex Grand Prix with Caracole de La Roque. However, his confidence in the mare is more obvious now than it was back then.

“Between last year and this year it’s completely different," Cook explained. "When I was here last year I more or less had no expectations. I remember in the jump-off last year I just decided whatever was about to happen was just going to happen. That kicked off my whole summer - without this show last year the rest of the summer would not have happened," said the man who went on to compete the mare at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games alongside Kraut, Ward and Kent Farrington, taking team silver.

Kraut said that although she had a good day, Bisquetta “took a little look at the wall (fence 3) which surprised me, normally she’s super-brave, so I rode her very strong and that made her very strong, so I think that first fence in the middle of the combination (fence 4) came from that. She finished very well and I thought the second round she jumped beautifully. Maybe I was a little free to the plank (fence 9) and she lightly touched it. I could have been better today but I had great team-mates to back me up," she said.