Big-name entries for Piazza di Siena 2018

The top riders will be competing at the CSIO in Rome’s Piazza di Siena (24-27 May). The names include British star Scott Brash, who was the first to register, and the only rider in history to win the Rolex Grand Slam, while the USA have a stellar entry list.
Three Olympic champions (Steve Guerdat, Jeroem Dubbeldam and Eric Lamaze), two members of the French gold team in Rio 2016 (Kevin Staut and Roger Yves Bost) and the top of the FEI Ranking, which has excellent ambassadors in the seven top ten riders: Harrie Smolders 1st (Netherlands), Kent Farrington (2nd USA), Kevin Staut (4th France), Henrick Von Eckermann (5th Sweden), Mc Lain Ward (6th USA), Simon Delestre (7th France) and Steve Guerdat (9th Switzerland).
Farrington, who lost his long leadership due to a forced absence, a square has always been a major player here. With him Laura Kraut, Lauren Hough, Beezie Madden, winner a few weeks ago of her second World Cup and McLain Ward, a true winner in Rome (Grand Prix and Grand Prix victory in 2016 and In 2010) …
The Intesa Sanpaolo Nations Cup promises to be exciting and open. Taking on favourites USA will be Holland. Harrie Smolders – the world’s new number one in the FEI ranking – is in good company thanks in particular to the presence of Jeroem Dubbeldam who has added the double gold in the WEG of Caen (2014) and then victory in the European Championship, and Leopold Van Asten.
Nine teams in the field at Piazza di Siena for edition number 86 of the CSIO – Canada, France, Germany, Italy, New Zealand, Holland, United States, Sweden and Switzerland – while representing an individual title will be Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Great Britain, Ireland, Portugal and Turkey for a total of 16 flags, 73 riders and 178 horses.
LORO PIANA SIX BAR: HERE ARE THE OTHER EIGHT AZZURRI
In addition to the 18 Italian riders already announced by FISE to compete in the CSIO in Rome, eight others will be present at Piazza di Siena to take part in the spectacular Loro Piana Six Bar, category of the Six Hurdles, scheduled for Saturday, May 26th.
Three of them earned their presence in the field through the qualifying tests, while the other five were selected by the national selector Duccio Bartalucci.
They are: Paolo Adorno, Filippo Marco Bologni (winner of the same test in 2017) Andrea Caprara, Federico Ciriesi, Edoardo Fochi, Eugenio Grimaldi, Elisa Ottobre and Andrea Venturini.
Press release Equi Equipe
Photo: McLain Ward USA photo CSIO Rome – Marco Proli