From hell to purgatory, there and back. For paradise we will have to wait. Italy finishes in eighth place in a Nations Cup (14’30, two heats, 12 hurdles at 1.60 with 15 jumps, 220 thousand euros in prize money, 10 starting nations) – signed this year by Germany – which ‘was second to last at the end of the first round of jumps (and therefore eliminated, according to the rules of banqueting, like the last Arab Emirates) but recovered for the second heat by one of those international rules that try to save the honor at all costs of the host nation. The initial round ended with Germany (then also winner of the Cup for the eleventh time in Piazza di Siena) in the lead, followed by the United States, Belgium, Ireland, Sweden, Mexico, Australia, Austria, Italy and the United Arab Emirates who were definitively eliminated.
The first heat contested by the blue quartet – Lorenzo De Luca on Cappuccino, Giacomo Casadei with Marbella du Chabli, Emanuele Camilli on Chacco’s Girlstar, Giulia Martinengo aboard Delta Del’Isle – was on the verge of disaster. De Luca blocked halfway while Casadei demolished the first barrier of the double cage and hit the second. Camilli was unable to right the blues’ fortunes and his chestnut held up three-quarters of the match before entering a barrier with equal feet. Italy slipped to the bottom, with the coup de grace of the refusal of Martinengo’s gelding. However, international rules allowed her to return just barely and she could return to the field in the second heat.
The blue dt Marco Porro he then pulled a team out of the top hat that left those who had witnessed the Italian disaster in the opening heat speechless. De Luca made just one mistake, followed by three amazing clear runs by Casadei, Camilli and Martinengo. Unfortunately not all of the omelette was recoverable but despite the good performances of the Azzurri, some of the foreign teams were unable to withstand the challenge of the second heat. THE Germans – Jana Wargers riding Dorette, Jiorne Sprehe on Sprehe Hot Easy, Kendra Brinkop with Tabasco de Toxandria, Daniel Deusser with Killer Queen – protagonists in Piazza di Siena since the deplored Twenty Years, they won (0 overall penalties), second Ireland (4), then Belgium, United States and Mexico (all 8), sixth Austria, seventh Sweden, eighth Italy (20 each), ninth Australia (32), eliminated United Arab Emirates.
“With four debuting horses I believe we have achieved a small miracle.” Porro smiled at the end of the day, satisfied above all with the final performances of Giulia Martinengo and the freshman Casadei. Heaven can wait.
