The 54 starters in the fiercely competitive speed class, the third competition of the 2026 CSIO Rome – Master d’Inzeo presented by Range Rover, kept the packed crowd at Piazza di Siena on the edge of their seats until the very last jump, where Italy’s Riccardo Pisani secured victory.
With fences set at 1.50m on Uliano Vezzani’s course and a prize fund of €30,000, a total of 24 combinations managed to leave all the rails in place. Among them, Pisani proved the fastest, guiding Chacco’s Lawito PS to the win in 63.57 seconds.
Starting midway through the order in the day’s feature class, the Italian rider delivered a beautiful round that was smooth, flowing and quick from start to finish.
“What a feeling! Finally, the victory I’ve been waiting for for such a long time has arrived,” said Riccardo Pisani, competing at Piazza di Siena for the eighth time but celebrating his first win in the famous Roman arena. “Today the horse was perfect. The performance was exactly what I was looking for. Chacco’s Lawito PS is the horse I will ride in the Rolex Gran Premio Roma, and today I wanted him to get used to the winning atmosphere of the competition. Now he will enjoy two days of relaxation before Sunday. He is a naturally fast horse with great balance and a huge stride, so with him I don’t need to overdo things — I just have to follow his natural rhythm.”
Riccardo’s victory adds to the recent international successes of his children Andrea and Iris, who are both emerging talents for Italy. Andrea recently won at the five-star event in Camaiore, while Iris claimed a Grand Prix victory at the CSIO Youth in St. Margarethen. “From a sporting point of view, today I restored the family hierarchy,” Pisani joked.
Giulia Martinengo Marquet secured second place aboard Scuderia 1918 Calle Deluxe in 64.81 seconds, while Belgium’s Gilles Thomas completed the podium with Qiara de Kalvarie after stopping the clock in 65.00 seconds.
