Emanuele Gaudiano posted his second win of the week with Vasco 118 in the Sergio Grasso Accumulator at Jumping Verona this afternoon.
Last to go before the halfway break, and scoring maximum points in 43.68 seconds, the Italian pair proved impossible to beat over the course that seemed to take some experienced horses by surprise.
British Olympic star, Ben Maher, looked set for a fast tour of the track when first out in the second half of the competition. But his nine-year-old gelding Nighthawk stopped at the vertical at fence four where Italy’s Arnaldo Bologni and Diego del Caribe were eliminated for two refusals just a few minutes later.
Champion
It was reigning European champion Richard Vogel who would eventually slot into runner-up spot with Uppsala JPS, the eight-year-old mare who is by his outstanding Championship ride United Touch.
The German duo’s time of 44.30 seconds put them almost a full second ahead of Belgium’s Jordy van Massenhoeve and Equine America Billy Take That in third, while Switzerland’s Jane Richard and Aequitus vh Bergerhof Z lined up in fourth, and Italian riders Luca Coata with Holly del Rilate and Giuseppe Rolli with Eiffel de Hus claimed fifth and sixth places.
Really fast
“Vasco was really fast again today. He has won two classes here and I’m very happy! I thought the course would suit him today. It was a Joker class, not a difficult one and there was no combination in it, so it was technical enough but just a speed class and Vasco likes to go fast – he always fights for me!” Gaudiano said.
He is now looking forward to the Longines FEI World Cup competition later this afternoon. “I’m going to ride Esteban in that, it will be the first indoor show for him this year”, he explained.
