Every rider wants to carve their name amongst a list of champions, and there is none more prestigious than that of the Grand Prix of Rome. Rolex became the title sponsor of this historic competition in 2018, and that connection with the world’s most iconic watchmakers has been firmly consolidated by the inclusion of CSIO Rome in the new Rolex Series launched at Piazza di Siena 12 months ago.

Last year’s winners, America’s Karl Cook and his brilliant mare Caracole de la Roque, are back to defend their title. But when the action gets underway tomorrow afternoon they will be facing the most formidable opposition.

This year’s entry includes three other former Rome Grand Prix winners, Brazil’s Rodrigo Pessoa who came out on top with Let’s Fly in 2009, America’s McLain Ward who was victorious in both 2010 with Sapphire and again in 2016 with HH Azur, and Italy’s Lorenzo De Luca who reigned supreme with Halifax vh Kluizebos in 2018.

It also includes two of the golden team members from the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Great Britain’s Ben Maher and Scott Brash, three of the US side that took Olympic team silver in Ward, Cook and Laura Kraut and one member of the bronze medal winning French team, Olivier Perreau.

Add in reigning European champion and Paris Olympic individual silver medallist Steve Guerdat from Switzerland amongst the many other stars, and the start-list is, as it should be, filled with the creme de la creme of international showjumping.

The Italian contingent will be keen to make a big impression, and Giulia Martinengo Marquet’s win with Coynor this morning has given her even greater resolve. She will compete Delta Del’Isle who picked up just a single fault in the second round of yesterday’s thrilling Intesa Sanpaolo Nations Cup in which Italy edged Team Germany by the narrowest of margins to slot into third place.

“Delta felt great yesterday, so I’m really looking forward to riding him in the Rolex Grand Prix tomorrow now!”, she said this morning.

Facts and Figures:

The first winner of the Grand Prix of Rome was Poland’s Adam Krolikiewicz with Picador in 1926.

The record holder for the greatest number of victories is Colonel Piero d’Inzeo, the eldest of the d'Inzeo brothers who took the title seven times with six different horses.

The horse with the greatest number of wins is the French-bred Flambeau C who, under the saddle of Frédéric Cottier, won three times in total, in 1980, 1982 and 1984.

Italian riders have won 23 times (13 different riders), French riders 20 times (14 different riders) and German riders 11 times with ten different riders, since Franke Sloothaak won the Grand Prix of Rome in both 1995 and 1996. British and American riders have won six times and Irish riders have won on five occasions.

In its history, the Grand Prix of Rome has been won by only six female riders: Americans Anne Kursinski in 1983, Margie Goldstein-Engle in 1997 and Chiara Bronfman in 2002, Australian Vicky Roycroft with Apache in 1987, Germany’s Helena Weinberg with Just Malone in 1988 and Frenchwoman Eugenie Angot riding Cigale du Tallis in 2004.

Just two horse/rider combinations have won the title twice in a row: Italy’s Raimondo d’Inzeo and Merano in 1956 and 1957 and Germany’s Franke Sloothaak with San Patrignano Joly Coeur in 1995 and 1996.

America’s Karl Cook and Caracole de la Roque took the title in 2024 and the pair have returned to attempt to do the back-to-back double in 2025.

Amongst other winners of the Grand Prix of Rome are many of the truly great partnerships of this sport, including Germany’s Hans Gunther Winkler and Halla (1959), Italy’s Graziano Mancinelli with Ambassador (1972), Ireland’s Eddie Macken and Boomerang (1978), Frenchman Pierre Durand and Jappeloup (1990), Canada’s Eric Lamaze and Hickstead (2011) and Great Britain’s Nick Skelton with Arko (2006) and Big Star (2013).