The €1m in prizemoney up for grabs throughout the week is a major incentive, and the startlist this year includes six previous Rome Grand Prix champions.

Ireland’s Denis Lynch lifted the Rolex Grand Prix trophy for the second time in his career when coming out on top 12 months ago and is back to try to make it a three-peat on Sunday afternoon (28 May). Daniel Bluman made history when posting Israel’s first-ever victory in 2019, while Lorenzo De Luca kept the trophy at home a year earlier. The Netherlands’ Jur Vrieling reigned supreme in 2017, von Eckermann won in 2015 and Britain’s John Whitaker topped the podium in 2007.

All of these six riders will be hoping to write their names onto the Rome Grand Prix Roll of Honour once again, but they have a lot of catching up to do if they want to match the remarkable record set by the legendary Italian, Colonel Piero d’Inzeo (ph. Equi-Equipe Archive),  who posted seven wins with six different horses between 1958 and 1976.

Only six lady riders have ever taken the Rome Grand prix title and three of those were American. Flying the US flag this year will be both Jessica Springsteen and Laura Kraut - the latter lying 19th in the world rankings and enjoying a great run of recent form so perhaps it is time for a female Grand Prix winner once again…..