Siena, 2 July 2024 – He is the new Piazza jockey, Granite, to win the test with Ardeglina for the Giraffa. This is the name chosen by the captain Guido Guiggiani for the twenty-year-old from Oliena who will run the Palio tonight. The other debuting jockey, ‘baptized’ yesterday evening in the Bruco, is Mattia Chiavassa, known as Tambani. Who takes first place at the start line, caressing Brivido sardo, when the starter Bartolo Ambrosio calls the horses in. Next to her, the She-Wolf takes her place, then Onda, Leocorno, Pantera, Giraffa, Nicchio, Civetta and Valdimontone. Tittia is chasing Veranu in the Goose.
Ambrosione lets them out of the ropes for the first time, something that had never happened before in the trials. Then back inside: the horses demonstrate to be well trained, still as statues. Grandine on Ares Elce (Leocorno) makes a bit of movement, even Giraffa slips away a few times. Onda and Nicchio imitate him for a moment. When Tittia enters, Valdimontone’s horse, Ungaros, the big favourite and ridden by Scompiglio, has a gap and Ambrosione is invalidated. It had also happened in the third test but he had let the horses go anyway.
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It’s Palio Day: A Career with Many Puzzles
It still takes time to get going, the feeling is that the brief and cordial meeting between captains and starters last night in the Entrone precisely on the management of the ropes was useful. So much so that Ambrosione lets the horses out again, after having called them back in, because there is a bit of confusion.
Then the good move with Tittia on Summerstill as a statue at the Verrocchino. Enters, perfect lowering. Tempesta on Zenios (Lupa) takes off well and then calls his horse back, Turbine on Akida in the Nicchio gets off to a good start, then there are Tamurè on Criptha in the Civetta and Scompiglio on Ungaros (Valdimontone). Tittia arrives quickly from the outside joining the leading group and then slows down. In the lead the niche that makes Akida gallop effortlessly: no consequences after the fall of the dress rehearsal for jockey and mare. But in the end it is the Giraffe who sets off the firecracker. At 10:30, the official signing of the jockeys in the Town Hall.
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