Bluman wins Rolex Grand Prix at CSIO Rome Piazza di Siena

Lorenzo De Luca (Italy)

Rome [ENA] Daniel Bluman made history and carved his name onto the prestigious Roll of Honour that dates all the way back to 1926,when posting Israel’s first-ever victory in the €400,000 Rolex Grand Prix at CSIO Rome Piazza di Siena today. From a starting field of 44 horse-and-rider combinations, the 29-year-old rider was one of only four to jump clear in the first round. He got the fastest zero score in round two thanks to a

brilliant performance from his 11-year-old gelding, Ladriano Z. Last into the ring, Ireland’s Cian O’Connor had to settle for runner-up spot with Irenice Horta when more than a second slower, while Belgium’s Olivier Philippaerts finished third with H&M Extra when also double-clear, but another second off the winning time of 39.47 seconds.Bluman was bursting with pride. “It feels fantastic - I’m still trying to understand what just happened!”, said the man who enjoyed considerable success when competing under the Colombian flag until the end of 2016. “This is an incredible venue and my favourite Grand Prix, so to be able to tick this off my bucket list is just amazing - it’s going to take some time to sink in just what this victory

means!” Belgium’s Olivier Philippaerts kicked off the competition with a clear round from H&M Extra, but only three others could match that. The home crowd were delighted when Luca Marziani and Tokyo du Soleil followed suit, and then O’Connor and the grey mare which was formerly ridden by Italian star, Lorenzo De Luca, also kept a clean sheet before Bluman and Ladriano Z, last in the first rotation, made it look pretty easy. The riders with the best 11 scores returned in the second round and, having collected just a single time penalty first time out, America’s Jessica Springsteen looked set to pile the pressure on those ahead of her when fifth-last to go. https://youtu.be/IBm9BLpMjzE

But she mis-timed her ride to the second fence with Fleur de l’Aube and crashed through it before retiring, so first-round four-faulter, Ireland’s Darragh Kenny, started moving rapidly up the leaderboard after his fast second-round clear. Philippaerts was foot-perfect once again and set the target for the remaining three in 41.75 seconds. But Bluman immediately relegated him when bringing his 12-year-old stallion home in 39.47. And when Marziani hit the second-last the crowd groaned. Now only the 2012 Olympic bronze medallist, O’Connor, stood between the Israeli rider and victory, and when the Irishman posted a time of 40.64 he had to settle for runner-up spot ahead of Philippaerts in third and Kenny in fourth place.