The 13-year-old mare Lazy certainly didn’t live up to her name when racing to victory for Belgium’s Zoe Conter in this morning’s KEP Italia Speed class at CSIO Rome - Master d’Inzeo 2024 at Piazza di Siena.

Lazy has the great stallions Hickstead and Cruising in her bloodline, and when Conter set off as 40th to go on the startlist of 47 the pair left the rest floundering in their wake. The United Arab Emirates’ Abdullah Humaid Al Muhairi gave it his best shot with the 13-year-old gelding Coenig when third-last into the ring, but his time of 60.60 seconds left him well short of the target when slotting into runner-up behind Conter whose winning time was 58.85.

First-day winners Emeric George and Gloria Mercoeur took third for France while Italy’s Emanuele Gaudiano and Julius D slotted into fourth. Jorne Sprehe, a member of yesterday’s victorious German team in the Intesa Sanpaolo Nations Cup, finished fifth with the grey stallion Hickstead White and sixth place went to the host nation’s Giulia Martinengo Marquet riding Captain Morgan Weering Z.

Landmark moment

For 25-year-old Conter today’s win was a landmark moment for a number of reasons.

“This is my very first win here, I’ve been coming here for many years now but I must say I’ve been having a really good show this year. It’s been my best year so far in Rome!”, she said. She’s had a great run of form all week.

“I was really happy because Thursday, the first day, was really good for me when I was second in the Grand Prix qualifier with my other mare Tombola. And Lazy has been in great form all week jumping to third place yesterday in the 1.45m and today she took the win so I’m really, really happy!”

But all her memories of Rome are not so wonderful as she explained. Eldest daughter of Stephen Conter of the world-famous Stephex Stables in Belgium, she had a bad fall in Rome six years ago and broke the fifth cervical vertebra in her neck. She might have left her jumping career behind as a result, but instead she underwent intense physical therapy and was back in the saddle after five months. She’s clearly made of tough stuff.

Fall

“My first time here in 2018 was a really bad time for me actually because I had a really bad fall and I broke my neck. But I keep coming back because I love the show and I really like to come here and I’m really happy to be here!”, she explained.

Zoe is planning an evening in Rome after competing in this afternoon’s Loro Piana Trophy Small Grand Prix. “So far I have had not much time to see the city but once I’m finished riding definitely I’ll go into Rome because it’s so beautiful - and pasta is my favourite food!”, she said.