Arezzo, 22 June 2024 – Fierce couples competing the golden spear dedicated to Giorgio Vasari. In the jousters’ purse, the green and whites of Porta Sant’Andrea perhaps start with a slight advantage. The Martino Gianni treatment, in its second year, seems to have had an excellent effect. Particularly in Tommaso Marmorini who, riding Conte Darko di Gazzara, an 11 year old Italian saddle, missed very few shots.
The three days of testing were good with shots almost always on 5 and good in the simulation when once again he hit the center. A few more smudges on the billboard for Saverio Montini, who until yesterday morning was undecided on the horse.
He ran the simulated one with White hitting 5, but then yesterday morning at the stamping he brought Syria, his favorite mare. Martino Gianni himself has always said that the final choice of horse is up to the jouster.
For those who want to do a quiet episode, then there are always the champions of Porta Santo Spirito. Gianmaria Scortecci riding Doc, a 13-year-old piebald, found the best trajectories and lots of shots on 5 in the tests.
All that was missing was confirmation in the simulation, where he stopped at 4th. Less continuity for Elia Cicerchia with Olympia, the haflinger with which he alternated shots on the 5 with worse shots in practice. In the simulation, however, the 5 hit him, even if he was penalized for slow career. Worth keeping an eye on is Porta del Foro which has seen its prices grow with the hiring of Enrico Vedovini as coach.
Francesco Rossi with Penelope, a 15-year-old haflinger, has made a major improvement. He had good practice days with precise shots on the center and this was also confirmed by the simulation where he hit the center.
Davide Parsi did not maintain the same continuity: he started very strong on the first day of testing and then went into decline, and in the same simulation astride Biancaneve he hit 4th.
A little further behind in preparation and training Porta Crucifera. Lorenzo Vanneschi with Pinocchio in practice hit several 5s, but he too had to settle for 4s in the simulation. On several occasions he tried to “get out” of the horse a bit to look for the good shot. Not a simple operation. Gabriele Innocenti returns to challenge Buratto with his Grace Coloner (Chicca), the 17 year old chestnut with whom he has already won the Giostra in Porta del Foro. But the stop of a couple of years didn’t help him and perhaps he is among the jousters in the Square who still needs to refine his skills a little.
