10 Sep 2013
The renewal of CSIO San Marino at Arezzo Equestrian Centre in Tuscany, Italy was a resounding success as it produced a fantastic week of top sport. Praised by allcomers, including FEI Jumping Director John Roche and superstar competitors including Grand Prix champion Rodrigo Pessoa from Brazil and Sweden’s Rolf‐Goran Bengtsson, the event looks set for a great future once more.
Rodrigo Pessoa
It came about due to the enthusiasm and determination of three major players ‐ the National Federation of San Marino, the Organising Committee at Arezzo Equestrian Centre and the Pavarotti Foundation. There was a strong agreement that the 11‐year lapse since the CSIO was last staged in Modena, home to the late, great Maestro Pavarotti, had left a big gap in both the Italian and international equestrian calendars. The time had come to bring it back, and the 3‐Star level renewal fixture proved the perfect platform on which to build an even bigger event over the coming years.
What started as a very Italian story however turned into a pivotal sporting moment for Brazil. Because the country that
will host the 2016 Olympic Games has taken big steps towards ensuring strong representation by their already world‐famous showjumping stars at the greatest show on earth in three years time, and the San Marino fixture at Arezzo was a very important building‐block on their road to Rio de Janeiro.
The last qualifying round of the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup series last Friday was always going to be an exciting
competition, with 12 teams in action and a big battle for the single remaining qualifying place for the inaugural Final which will take place in Barcelona, Spain in just over two weeks. Team Austria rose to the challenge on the day to take that coveted spot, to the deep disappointment of the host nation who were joint‐leaders going into the second round only to lose their
grip. But it was the Brazilians who stole the limelight with victory from a team that combined the extensive experience of the multi‐medalled Rodrigo Pessoa and Alvaro (Doda) de Miranda along with the considerably less‐well‐travelled Eduardo Menezes and Marlon Zanotelli.
Pessoa_Nicoletta_Mantovani_Pavarotti
Riding the 10‐year‐old stallion Clouwni, Zanotelli put his name firmly on the map when recording the only double‐clear of the entire competition as his side strode purposefully to success. With an eight‐fault total score, they pinned France and Switzerland into joint‐second place. And it was a particularly special moment for Pessoa. Despite being three‐time World Cup Champion, and having Olympic and World titles already to his credit, he had never before been a member of a winning Nations Cup side ‐ “this is my first, and I’m delighted!” he said having ticked that one of his “to‐do” list.
Brazilian Chef d’Equipe, Jean‐Maurice Bonneau, afterwards talked about the big plans afoot for Brazilian riders at all levels of the sport. There has been major investment in what he describes as “a massive project” that will bring many more of the less‐well‐known but talented young Brazilian riders into the frame over the coming years. And the campaign for his senior contingent is clearly mapped out. They go to the Furusiyya Final without having had to qualify as the sole representatives of the South American region. But they are not seeking promotion to the top division of this series which has successfully pushed the doors of Nations Cup Jumping wide open since its inception earlier this year. The Brazilian presence in Barcelona will be about measuring their progress against the best teams in the world and learning from the experience.
Next year the plan is to take part in some 5‐Star Furusiyya qualifiers in preparation for the World Equestrian Games in Normandy, France, 2015 brings the all‐important Pan‐American Games and then the ultimate goal is the home event that will bring the world to their country for the XXXl Olympiad in 2016. As if to underline just how seriously the Brazilian riders are taking their new‐found mission, Pessoa then stormed to victory with great style in yesterday’s Fixdesign Grand Prix. Riding Citizenguard Cadjanine Z, a horse he has had for just two months now, he produced one of 11 first‐round clears from the starting field of 60 riders, and with 15 qualified for the secondround jump‐off he was ninth to go against the clock. He clinched it with a performance that demonstrated the confidence, skill and determination that are his trademark. But it is almost a year since the 40‐year old who has a trophy‐cabinet filled with many of the most coveted spoils of the sport last won a Grand Prix title. He was more than happy that this CSIO 3‐Star fixture at Arezzo had provided him with the opportunity to return to the Grand Prix winner’s enclosure once again.
For Brazilian Chef d’Equipe Bonneau, whose masterful team management led France to domination of the Nations Cup circuit during the early years of the new millennium, the visit to CSIO 3* San Marino‐Arezzo worked out to perfection. Building a powerful team spirit is key to his vision for success, and it was clear that the Brazilian riders understand the need to support each other as never before if they are to achieve their goals over the coming years. CSIO 3‐Star San Marino‐Arezzo has played a role in that story, and has firmly re‐established the link between a tiny Republic in the heart of Italy, a fantastic equestrian facility with a great management team, and a legendary operatic genius who had a deep devotion to the sport of showjumping and whose memory lives on through the work of the Pavarotti Foundation.
Quotes of the Week:
Brazilian Chef d’Equipe Jean‐Maurice Bonneau:
(After winning Nations Cup) “It is very important for Brazil, the Olympic Committee and Federation who are
supporting us. We need to let them know we are serious and that we are doing our job and making progress.
We want to take this chance to get ready for the Games ‐ this may have been only a 3‐Star win, but before
you can run you have to be able to walk!”
“The Olympic Committee has asked big companies to support Brazilian athletes and one of our main supporters is BNDES, the national investment bank of Brazil. It is a huge project, and there was a lot of excitement after our win on Friday. Even before the prize‐giving ceremony the riders were doing interviews with Brazilian media, which is fantastic!”
“Team spirit is not jut a word, it is about spending time together and coming together as a group. Rodrigo and Doda are willing to have someone create the right environment for all the riders to become very close, because they know that when they are close that people will really want to fight for one another. Newcomers always ride better alongside experienced
riders ‐ Eduardo (Menezes) said that last Friday. He said he felt really comfortable about what he had to do because he knew he had the support of Rodrigo and Doda. It gives them a positive attitude”.
Rodrigo Pessoa, after winning Fixdesign Grand Prix:
“My mare has a very big stride so it was ideal for her in a big field like this where you can open up her stride.
Cadjanine Z was previously ridden by Gregory Wathelet from Belgium. I have her for just two months and we
are still in the learning stages together, but we are going forward step by step. My father has helped me a
lot. We still have a little bit of work to do but this has been a very rewarding win today for our staff and our
team”.
Lazzaro Volpinari, President of the San Marino Equestrian Federation:
“It has been wonderful to put together the name of our little old Republic of San Marino and such important
riders as Rodrigo Pessoa. I hope this is the beginning of a new era for our CSIO”.
Carlo Bernardini, Arezzo OC:
“The Organising Committee is very pleased with how this first edition of CSIO San Marino has gone, and we
would like to thank everyone, especially the staff. We look forward to next year when the second edition will
be even bigger and better”.
Carlo Bernardini, OC CSIO San Marino Arezzo after Nations Cup ‐
“I’d like to thank Jean Maurice Bonneau because we were very excited to get the call to say there would be a great Brazilian team coming to Arezzo. We had a great result today, until the very last horse in the second round everyone in Italy was
waiting for the result!”
John Roche, FEI Jumping Director
“It is a great pleasure to be in Arezzo for the 12th edition of CSIO San Marino which was previously organised
in Modena by Maestro Luciano Pavarotti. Just a few days ago, on 3 September, the Republic of San Marino
celebrated it 1,712th birthday! San Marino is the oldest Republic in the world and the third‐smallest country
in Europe ‐ only Vatican City and Monaco are smaller. I’d like to thank the Organising Committee at Arezzo
for taking the initiative of bringing this great show back into the international calendar. It is the perfect
venue for a CSIO”.
Source: Equi Equipe
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