Top riders at San Patrignano

The starting list was closed today at San Patrignano for the riders taking part in the 14th edition of the CSI5* International Show Jumping Contest, dedicated to the memory of the founder of the Rimini drug rehabilitation community, Vincenzo Muccioli.

At the starting tape there will be six of the top eleven riders in world ranking; Germany’s Marcus Ehning (N° 4), Ireland’s Jessica Küerten (N° 6), Australia’s Edwina Alexander (N° 7), the other Germans, Ludger Beerbaum (N° 9) and Marco Kutscher (N° 10), and Holland’s Albert Zoer (N° 11).

The N° 1 in the world rider rankings and current Olympic champion Eric Lamaze has had to forgo the Sanpa contest.
In fact, the Canadian broke his foot during last week’s victorious Aachen Grand Prix and will have to abandon contests for at least twenty days. The list of entrants, truly top grade as always, will be completed by riders such as the United States’ Richard Spooner (N° 22), Sweden’s Beat Mändli (N° 24) Germany’s Christian Ahlmann (N° 27) and Belgium’s Leon Thijssen (N° 36), whose photograph, taken at the 2005 European Championship, held precisely at Sanpa, is the image in the headline of this year’s contest: Change your perspective.

There will be eleven Italians competing, directed by coach Markus Fuchs. The Italian group will be led by the country’s three top riders in the FEI ranking: Gianni Govoni (N° 23) from Modena, Natale Chiaudani (N° 41) and Juan Carlos Garcia (N° 69). The last of the three is the only rider in the history of riding to have won to silver medals in two different disciplines: jumping and eventing. This was thanks two his two second places last year in the continental contests in Windsor and Fontainebleau.