DAVID Will posted the 11th German win and became the 10th German rider to clinch the coveted Rolex Grand Prix of Rome at Piazza di Siena in Italy on Sunday afternoon.

The history of the class dates all the way back to 1926 and its Roll of Honour filled with so many superstars of the past. Ludger Beerbaum was the last German to take the honour with Gotha FRH in 2012, before 33-year-old Will saw his country’s flag raised once again after a brilliant performance with C Vier 2.

From a starting field of 50, riders from 10 different countries qualified for the nail-biting 13-horse jump-off against the clock and it was America’s Laura Kraut and Jessica Springsteen who finished second and third. Ireland’s Bertram Allen lined up in fourth with the brilliant Irish Sport Horse Pacino Amiro, ahead of Belgium’s Jerome Guery in fifth, while European gold and world silver medallist Martin Fuchs from Switzerland had to settle for sixth place.

Uliano Vezzani’s 13-fence first-round track was big and unrelenting, with many faults at the triple combination at fence nine while the distances down the final line required control, power and accuracy to the very end.

Five clears

There were five clears in the first round and they were joined by another five riders who had faults, and they went in reverse order of merit based on their first-round time, with Allen having the best draw as last to go.

Will set the target for the remaining four when fifth-last to go. The 13-year-old gelding C Vier scorched home in 42.34 seconds to set the standard. America’s Springsteen confidently returned another clear in 45.15 seconds with Don Juan van de Donkhoeve when next into the arena, temporarily settling into runner-up spot, before her compatriot and double-Olympian Laura Kraut pushed her down the order when breaking the beam in 44.76 seconds with Baloutine.

Now only Bertram Allen and Aiden McGrory’s talented nine-year-old Pacino Amiro (Pacino x NC Amiro), who was bred by Simon Scott, stood between Germany’s Will and victory. The 25-year-old looked to be on target but a risky turn to the final oxer didn’t pay off and they finished with four faults in 43.62 seconds for fourth place.

Allen earned €40,000 while Will took the top prize of €100,000. Speaking afterwards, the winner said: “I’m so lucky to be riding this horse. He still belongs to the breeder, and the daughter of the breeder, Janine Rijkens, rode him up to four-star level so I knew him for quite a while. Janine stepped down from showing a bit and the horse came to me through Dietmar Gugler and here we are!”

Five-star win for McAuley

Ireland’s disappointing in the Nations Cup, where they didn’t make it through to the second round, was put behind them on Saturday when Mark McAuley hit back in the first competition to win the accumulator competition with Cap West.

The 34-year-old rider from Co Louth scored 65 points and finished the course with an excellent time of 45.26 to earn €2,500. This was the third career success For McSuley at Piazza di Siena.