After the exciting first go-round of the NRHA/IRHA Futurity 3 year-olds held last Sunday with 95 pairs competing, Cremona yesterday, 17 November, hosted the second eliminatory round of the „Big Futurity”. Two Italian riders sharing the same Christian name, Pierluigi, led the field in levels 4 and 3.
Pierluigi Fabbri showed the stallion Gfc Surprise For Me (by Dualin For Me x ARC Surprise On Stage) owned by Piero Pollarini and bred by Laura Cresci, while Pierluigi Chioldo was riding Saturdaynight Mizzen, a gelding by Saturdaynight Custom out of Westcoast Mizzen, bred and owned by Ambrosini Qh. In the first go-round Fabbri was placed first at level 3 and third at level 4 and demonstrated an impressive steadiness by repeating his score of 218.5 in the second go to reach a total of 437. Chioldo, on the other hand, considerably increased the pace of his performance, allowing the pair to attain the prestigious pole position for the final next Saturday with a more than excellent 221.5, posting the top score of the event so far, and boosting the “modest” 215.5 of his first go (which had earned the pair second place at level 3 but only tenth at level 4) to reach the ex aequo best composite score. «I’ve been riding this great horse for over a year now and I feel him increasingly ‘mine’», commented Chioldo. «We castrated him recently because we were slightly unsure and didn’t want to run any unnecessary risks, though he’s capable of getting credits in all his manoeuvres. In the first go-round he was a little bit “fresh”, although I think we started right away with a good ride; in the second one, he was decidedly more focused. He will rest two days before the Final then we’ll just try out a couple of things… As in training, I will be looking for regularity; I don’t think that with a three-year-old you should expect explosive manoeuvres every day: you move forward step by step».
As for Pierluigi Fabbri, whose Futurity this year is particularly demanding, not only because he is getting very little sleep, but also because he is following 15 horses and an undisclosed number of non-pro riders, he said of his partner in the show pen: «I consider him extremely reliable, as shown by the two go-rounds in which we obtained an identical score while doing a completely relaxed run… And I think I can draw out the best from him in the final. I know this horse well; I started to ride him in September last year. At the start, there were a few problems because he was very small but at the same time, he possessed a strong physique: you could say that more than galloping over the ground, he rolled! But as he grew I knew I could build him according to my way of thinking, and we get on really well».
The two leaders of level 4 after the first go-round, the famous Austrian professional Rudi Kronsteiner with Desire Big Chex (stallion by Big Chex To Cash x Topsails Desire bred by Carlo Orsi and owned by Franz Josef Braidt), and the Belgian rider stationed in Italy, Ann Fonck with Roosters Attitude, a magnificent gelding bred at 23 QH and son of Ricochet Rooster and Jackie Cody Pine, now stand respectively in third and fifth positions at level 4.
It would be surprising if there were no horse bred by Claudio Risso among the leaders at the Futurity, and this time we have RS Moon Feo Jac, a stallion by RS Great Jac Feona whose mum is RS Red Moon Olena. Undoubtedly, the first thought that comes to mind is that the RS horses born in 2012 have quite “predictable” names as they mix parts of the names of both dam and sire, whereas normally Claudio Risso shows a certain flair when sending in the registration application. «That year I had no young boys or girls at the stable; they’re the ones whom I usually ask for suggestions when naming the foals as thanks to their youth they have a certain imagination and enthusiasm that you lose over time. But you’ll see the names we’ve given to the 2016 prospects, as well as those born in 2014 and 2015…». The young trainer from Roberta’s Stable, Mirko Midili took RS Moon Feo Jac to the top of level 2 after the go-rounds, improving on the pair’s first score by a full three full points to reach a composite score of 431.5. This score assured the pair a three-point lead over Francesco Barbagli and Splitting Memories, a stallion owned by the rider himself and by Spat Split And White out of Surprise Bad Girl, both excellent examples of the breeding stock at Le Colombare QH. Mirko’s passion for reining goes back to his earliest days when he watched his father competing in this disciplne, but he himself previously competed in barrel racing. Mirko reveals: «We got our timing wrong when entering the warm-up pen, so I just made a couple of circles on the right rein and a couple on the left and then we went in, but it worked! I think I’ll do the same for the final, just having a short warm-up, no more than twenty minutes… and see what happens!». Started by Gianni Moretti, RS Moon Feo Jac passed between the reins of Mirko at the end of his second year: «He quickly proved to have great stops and has always been easy to train», concludes the rider. «I think this is a really great horse for the Open».
Open Futurity 3 year-olds level 1 leader after the eliminatory go-rounds, thanks especially to the score in the first go, is Lorenzo De Simone, riding the gelding The Stain Of Hancock owned by Sabrina Schneiter (420.5). The horse, was raised by De Simone himself, who bought him when he was only six months old; he is the son of Docs Tivio Hancock and Smart Bar Betty. «He’s a really good horse, especially strong in his spins and stops, even though I still cannot fully express his potential on the circles», explained Lorenzo, who recalls with disarming honesty the periods of uncertainty and difficulty they went through during the training. «But in the end we did it!». De Simone thanks Anna Marta, Guglielmo Fontana and Andrea Parolari who, he says, «gave me the energy to get here… with a fun group on WhatsApp with the self-explanatory name of ‘Let’s pray for Lorenzo’». In second place behind De Simone and The Stain Of Hancock, is a rider who has already garnered satisfaction in this 2015 Futurity, German Stephan Rohde, who put together the second best score in the 4 year-olds Open Futurity Levels 2 and 1 with Nicos Custom Gunner owned by Isabeau Riemann. Belonging to the same owner is Spinderellas Dream (Magnum Chic Dream x Custom Spinderella), a female bred in the US by Steve Simon and now also placed after the preliminaries of the Futurity reserved for three-year-olds.
Lastly, Surprise Me Jaba ridden by Alberto Villani and owned by the Azienda Agricola Gielle is leading the AIQH Futurity. This mare, by RS Little Red Jaba, aka Jabalino, out of ARC One Tuff Heroine was bred by Giovanni Serblin, an Italian non-pro, many-times Non Pro Futurity winner.
IRHA/NRHA Futurity Press Office
Infos: www.futurity.it – press@futurity.it