The Rio 2016 Olympic gold medal winning team from France will prove tough nuts to crack, but the host nation looks to have a real chance of breaking a 32-year drought on home ground by winning the FEI Nations Cup™ at the 85th Rome Piazza di Siena Intesa Sanpaolo d’Inzeo Brothers Masters CSIO (May 25-28). The beautiful gardens at the Villa Borghese in the heart of the Italian capital are already buzzing with excitement as everything is put in place for the annual contest that draws spectators from all around the globe. The natural amphitheatre of the Piazza di Siena is a place where history resonates, and Team Italy holds the record for the greatest number of victories in this hallowed arena, a total of 27 since Nations Cup™ Jumping was first staged in 1926. However the last Italian side to hold the coveted trophy in their hands included the legendary Graziano Mancinelli back in 1985, and Chef d’Equipe, Roberto Arioldi, knows it is long past time to put that to rights. And he has every chance of doing it, because Italian riders are competing at the top of their game right now. They looked in danger of being relegated to the second division of the Nations Cup series last year until posting a brilliant win in Dublin, Ireland last July, and got this season off to a great start when pinning Belgium into runner-up spot at the Europe Division 2 leg just a week ago in Linz, Austria. But the Europe Division 1 leg on their home turf on 26 May will be, literally, in a different league and Arioldi has gone for all his top guns this time out. He has selected the full side that recorded that pivotal Dublin win, with Emilio Bicocchi, Piergiorgio Bucci and Bruno Chimirri joined by one of the hottest properties in the sport at the moment, 30-year-old Lorenzo De Luca who holds the No. 6 spot on the Longines World Rankings and whose list of recent successes includes wins on the Global Champions Tour circuit in Mexico, Miami and Shanghai. The man is on fire, and completing the Italian squad is 28-year-old Alberto Zorzi who won the opening leg of the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping Western European League in Oslo, Norway last October to announce his very definite arrival at the top end of the sport. It certainly won’t be all plain sailing for the Italians however because, from the start-list of eight nations, a total of six will be hunting down those all-important points that will get them qualified for the FEI Nations Cup™ Final 2017 in Barcelona, Spain in September. Only the Canadian side that includes 2008 Olympic champion Eric Lamaze, and the Swiss team headed up by 2012 Olympic gold medallist Steve Guerdat, will not be on a points-gathering mission. And every single team has an agenda. Brazilian super-star and 2004 Olympic champion Rodrigo Pessoa was recently appointed manager of the Irish team and he will be wanting to make a good early impression with his side that includes Kevin Babington, Shane Breen, Paul Kennedy, Denis Lynch and Shane Sweetnam. And after years of being the dominant force, The Netherlands has been going through a dip in their fortunes so Rob Ehrens will be hoping that Jeroen Dubbeldam, Michel Hendrix, Marc Houtzager, Gerco Schroder and Jur Vrieling can turn that around. Henrik von Eckermann is another rider right at the top of his game and will be joined by Petronella Andersson, Malin Baryard-Johnsson, Jonna Ekberg and Douglas Lindelow in the Swedish selection. And Marco Fuste’s Spanish side includes Eduardo Alvarez Aznar, Sergio Alvarez Moya, Pilar Cordon, Manuel Fernandez Saro and Gerardo Menendez Mieres. The ones they will all be trying to get past of course are the reigning Olympic champions from France, and Chef d’Equipe Philippe Guerdat has chosen all four of the side that trounced the opposition, despite a series of setbacks, in Rio de Janeiro last summer to take that Olympic crown. If Team Italy is to realise the dream of reclaiming the coveted trophy in front of their home crowd, they have a formidable task ahead of them as they strive to keep Philippe Rozier, Kevin Staut, Penelope Leprevost and the enigmatic Roger Yves Bost in check, while Mathieu Billot is also on the French panel. But the glorious intrigue of FEI Nations Cup™ Jumping is the utter unpredictability of it all, and when the action gets underway on 26 May it is very definitely all to play for, and Team Italy has a big chance of lifting the trophy and reclaiming that top step of the podium at last.
The Rio 2016 Olympic gold medal winning team from France will prove tough nuts to crack, but the host nation looks to have a real chance of breaking a 32-year drought on home ground by winning the FEI Nations Cup™ at the 85th Rome Piazza di Siena Intesa Sanpaolo d’Inzeo Brothers Masters CSIO (May 25-28). The beautiful gardens at the Villa Borghese in the heart of the Italian capital are already buzzing with excitement as everything is put in place for the annual contest that draws spectators from all around the globe. The natural amphitheatre of the Piazza di Siena is a place where history resonates, and Team Italy holds the record for the greatest number of victories in this hallowed arena, a total of 27 since Nations Cup™ Jumping was first staged in 1926. However the last Italian side to hold the coveted trophy in their hands included the legendary Graziano Mancinelli back in 1985, and Chef d’Equipe, Roberto Arioldi, knows it is long past time to put that to rights. And he has every chance of doing it, because Italian riders are competing at the top of their game right now. They looked in danger of being relegated to the second division of the Nations Cup series last year until posting a brilliant win in Dublin, Ireland last July, and got this season off to a great start when pinning Belgium into runner-up spot at the Europe Division 2 leg just a week ago in Linz, Austria. But the Europe Division 1 leg on their home turf on 26 May will be, literally, in a different league and Arioldi has gone for all his top guns this time out. He has selected the full side that recorded that pivotal Dublin win, with Emilio Bicocchi, Piergiorgio Bucci and Bruno Chimirri joined by one of the hottest properties in the sport at the moment, 30-year-old Lorenzo De Luca who holds the No. 6 spot on the Longines World Rankings and whose list of recent successes includes wins on the Global Champions Tour circuit in Mexico, Miami and Shanghai. The man is on fire, and completing the Italian squad is 28-year-old Alberto Zorzi who won the opening leg of the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping Western European League in Oslo, Norway last October to announce his very definite arrival at the top end of the sport. It certainly won’t be all plain sailing for the Italians however because, from the start-list of eight nations, a total of six will be hunting down those all-important points that will get them qualified for the FEI Nations Cup™ Final 2017 in Barcelona, Spain in September. Only the Canadian side that includes 2008 Olympic champion Eric Lamaze, and the Swiss team headed up by 2012 Olympic gold medallist Steve Guerdat, will not be on a points-gathering mission. And every single team has an agenda. Brazilian super-star and 2004 Olympic champion Rodrigo Pessoa was recently appointed manager of the Irish team and he will be wanting to make a good early impression with his side that includes Kevin Babington, Shane Breen, Paul Kennedy, Denis Lynch and Shane Sweetnam. And after years of being the dominant force, The Netherlands has been going through a dip in their fortunes so Rob Ehrens will be hoping that Jeroen Dubbeldam, Michel Hendrix, Marc Houtzager, Gerco Schroder and Jur Vrieling can turn that around. Henrik von Eckermann is another rider right at the top of his game and will be joined by Petronella Andersson, Malin Baryard-Johnsson, Jonna Ekberg and Douglas Lindelow in the Swedish selection. And Marco Fuste’s Spanish side includes Eduardo Alvarez Aznar, Sergio Alvarez Moya, Pilar Cordon, Manuel Fernandez Saro and Gerardo Menendez Mieres. The ones they will all be trying to get past of course are the reigning Olympic champions from France, and Chef d’Equipe Philippe Guerdat has chosen all four of the side that trounced the opposition, despite a series of setbacks, in Rio de Janeiro last summer to take that Olympic crown. If Team Italy is to realise the dream of reclaiming the coveted trophy in front of their home crowd, they have a formidable task ahead of them as they strive to keep Philippe Rozier, Kevin Staut, Penelope Leprevost and the enigmatic Roger Yves Bost in check, while Mathieu Billot is also on the French panel. But the glorious intrigue of FEI Nations Cup™ Jumping is the utter unpredictability of it all, and when the action gets underway on 26 May it is very definitely all to play for, and Team Italy has a big chance of lifting the trophy and reclaiming that top step of the podium at last.