At the Piazza di Siena, the morning's speed class served as the perfect warm-up, for the highlighting an incredibly anticipated CSIO5* Nations Cup this afternoon. Great Britain’s Jack Whitaker set the grass arena alight, piloting the lightning-fast Belgian-bred (SBS) mare Izara des Dames to a spectacular victory. Crossing the timers at an unbeatable 66.57 seconds, the 2014 mare proved her absolute class.
Izara des Dames boasts an exceptional heritage, sired by Harrie Smolders' Rio-Olympic sire, Emerald Van 't Ruytershof. Her damsire is Calvaro F.C. via Unieme des Dames, a bloodline that injected the raw power necessary to handle Piazza di Siena’s modern, technical track with effortless style.
Ireland’s Tom Wachman claimed the runner-up spot riding the ultra-consistent Kilkenny (Cardento) France’s Megane Moissonnier secured third with Kandoo Z (Kannan).
Saudi Arabia's Khaled Almobty finished a close fourth aboard Diana du Plevau Z (Dieu Merci van t & L x Kashmir van 't Schuttershof) with a time of 69.18 seconds. Fifth place went to the USA's Marilyn Little, who guided the Holstein mare Heidi von Imhoff (Christian 25 x Chepetto) home cleanly in 69.45 seconds.
