San Patrignano CSI-A (ITA) Equestrian sport against drugs and social outcasting

American Continental Properties to the British rider Robert Smith

In the opening class of day two in the “Vincenzo Muccioli” Challenge, the British rider Robert Smith, riding Senator Marius Claudius, a seven-year-old bay stallion, preceded the Belgian champion Ludo Philippaerts on Verelst Raspoetin and the Italian rider Mario Verheyden took the third place. The American Continental Properties Prix – a speed class in two consecutive phases - was reserved to young horses. Smith is an actor son of an actor father: his father, Harvey, was one of the outstanding rider in the sixties/seventies. This year Robert has already collected four successes in international competitions: Rome, Vejaer de la Frontera (two victories) and Cervia. Last year, he gained the top of the podium for seventeen times in international events. By the top results achieved in these last years, he can well be judged one of the top riders in Great Britain. Extremely fast in both courses, Smith beat by a few hundredth of a second the vice - European champion Ludo Philippaerts and the Italian rider Verheyden riding Zip, a seven-year-old chestnut gelding on which, on the opening day, Verheyden already had won the first young horses competition. Fine weather and agreeable temperature favour a large attendance of show jumping fans. The second day of the Challenge had opened with the traditional gala lunch: forty riders and more than two hundreds people that are contributing to realize the three-day event in San Patrignano have been invited by the community to dine. Afterwards, many of them took part in visiting facilities, structures and the vocational training workshops of the well known therapeutic centre.

San Patrignano, July 21, 2001

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