De Freitas Barcha bags the MAG Two-Phase for Brazil

22 may 2025

It was the Brazilian national anthem that rang out across the historic oval at Piazza di Siena this afternoon when Stephan de Freitas Barcha won the second competition at CSIO Rome 2025, the MAG Two-Phase.

Running 29th in a big field of 68 starters, the 35-year-old rider and his 16-year-old gelding Chevaux Hex Lup Imperio Egipcio stormed through the timers to set the target when clear in 24.39 seconds, and that was never truly threatened until Ireland’s Cian O’Connor came closest in 24.76 with his new ride, Kaspar R, to slot into runner-up spot.

Italian riders Neri Pieraccini with Newton van’T Zorgvliet and Federico Ciriesi with Quincy Juice slotted into third and fourth places while Ireland’s Seamus Hughes-Kenny and Dure de Semily finished fifth.

Busy man

Winning rider de Freitas Barcha is no stranger to success and is a busy man running his competitive career alongside the big horse-trading business he operates across venues in Brasilia and in San Paolo. With his top ride Chevaux Primavera Imperio Egipcio he finished individually fifth at last summer’s Olympic Games in Paris. He was also a team gold medallist at the Pan-American Games in Peru in 2022 and took individual gold at the 2023 Pan-Americans in Santiago, Chile with Primavera.

“Hex Lup is my speed horse”, he explained this afternoon. “He’s a top horse for this type of class. I am really happy, he’s a Brazilian horse and I have him since I was in Brazil. He’s a real winner, he already has had first place in Geneva, first place in Barcelona, and a lot of good shows. But these kinds of classes are his speciality. For me its is fantastic to have a horse like him. And he loves this big arena here in Rome!”

Experienced

Runner-up Cian O’Connor was also very pleased, particularly since he has only recently taken up the ride on the 10-year-old Kaspar R.

“He’s an experienced horse, I just got him two weeks ago and this is our first show together, but he was ridden to a good level by Harrie Smolders (NED) and he’s been competitive and jumped well so it’s lovely to have gotten him. He’s 10 years old and he knows his job well. Harrie had him for one year and he brought him up to 4* level”, the Irishman explained.

It was still quite an achievement to finish so close to the winner on a horse he so recently acquired. “Of course when you don’t know a horse you don’t know what buttons to press but I think we got on well, we had a nice bond together for our first time, and he has a lovely temperament. He’s a very pleasant horse and very calm”, said O’Connor who hopes to move Kasper up to 1.60m level in due course.