NEWS

The Swiss national anthem was the last to be played on day two of the Frecciarossa Milano Jumping Cup 2022, held at the San Siro Racecourse.

The Lexus Trophy (against the clock  - h 1.45m), one of the four most important classes at the Milan show, was won by Steve Guerdat riding his 9-year-old Is Minka.

The 40-year-old Swiss champion was the fastest in the eleven-horse jump off. Guerdat won  by just 13/100th of a second beating Italian rider Roberto Turchetto, a 43-year-old from Lombardy, who rode a perfect round on Lovely Girl.

For Switzerland, this was the fourth success in this second MJC, following yesterday's wins by Martin Fuchs and Pius Schwizer as well as Simone Buhofer’s earlier this afternoon. Guerdat is one of the world's best-ranked top riders, having won two Olympic medals (including individual gold in London 2012), one World Championship and five European Championship medals (among them team gold in Windsor 2009 and Riesenbeck 2021.)

Speaking after the competition, Guerdat said, “This is proving to be a good period for Swiss riders. We came to this show with a group of competitive horses and Is Minka, for example, is only a 9-year-old, but already able to hold her own at this level. Dynamix is my choice for tomorrow although it will only be his second 4* Grand Prix. But I am relying on him and he could be the right horse for the European Champions that will be held here in Milan next year. I like this arena and all the facilities here are functional, so with just a few finishing touches it promises to be a great event next year.”

Lexus Trophy (mixed competition - h 145 - 26.000 €)
1. Steve Guerdat SUI (Is Minka) pen. 0, 33”23
2. Roberto Turchetto ITA (Lovely Girl 25) 0, 33”36
3. Richard Vogel GER (Caramba 92) 0, 33”43

Photo MJC / Idea Viwa