Horse Racing Resumes In Italy
It has been a month since the racecourses in Italy filled with spectators, that horsemen scurried around the stables preparing horses and racecourse officials did their last minute checks to ensure a smooth sailing day of horse racing magnificence. The horsemen strike finally came to an end and on Sunday 9 November 2008, horse racing resumed in Italy, with breathtaking action and spectacular performances by foreign horses. In Rome, at the Capannelle Racecourse, it was business as usual as the horses for the first event started getting ready and moving towards the starting gates.
Two horses stood out amongst the rest with their victories, namely Estejo and Pressing. Both are foreign horses and won their events with immense determination and conviction. Pressing won the Italian Grade 2 Premio Ribot, while Estejo outraced his competitors in the Italian Grade 1 Premio Roma At The Races. Pressing and Estejo ensured that it was a very interesting day at the races on Sunday.
Pressing was bred out of Rafif (Riverman) and sired by Soviet Star, in Ireland. This magnificent five year old has had thirty career starts of which he has enjoyed eight victories. Some of those wins include the 2008 International Topkapi Trophy (Trukey), the Premio Federico Tesio and the Premio Presidente Repubblica. Pressing began his horse racing career in Milan but after he was bought by Gary Tanaka, he was moved to Newmarket and the capable hands of trainer Michael Jarvis. Pressing won the Premio Ribot, a 1 600 meter event, in a time of 1:39:80 and was followed home by Project Dane in second and Farrel in third position.
Estejo is based and was bred in Germany and is out of Este (The Noble Player). He is owned by Giovanni Martone and is trained by Ralf Rohne, and has a few noteworthy victories under his belt that include the 2007 Gran Premio d’Italia. He won the $303,249 Premio Roma At The Race event in a time of 2:06:70, which showed not only that he has the speed and stamina for 2,000 meter racing events, but that he can succeed in group stakes races. Permesso finished in second position while Once More Dubai had to settle for third.
