Brilliant Bucci Clinches Victory in the €106,250 Crivelli Prize at Verona

By Jumper News on 2025-11-09

Verona, Italy – November 08, 2025 – Piergiorgio Bucci (ITA) brought day two at Jumping Verona to the perfect close with a thrilling victory in the €106,250 Crivelli Prize CSI 5*-W riding the fabulous grey stallion Pallieter vd N. Ranch.

Course designer Uliano Vezzani (ITA) set them a tough task in the first round in which there were three eliminations and eight decisions to retire. However 11 horse-and-rider combinations found the key to the 13-fence track and with three Italians through to the second-round jump-off the crowd were kept on the edges of their seats.

**Simon Delestre** (FRA) & **Gatsby du Tillard**

Fourth to go, it was French star Simon Delestre (FRA) who set the target with the first clear with the nine-year-old stallion Gatsby du Tillard who raced through the timers in 38.02 seconds but it seemed very likely he would be overtaken by his compatriot, Julien Epaillard (FRA), who shaved almost a second off that only to leave the second-last fence on the floor.

Foot-perfect
Spain’s Armando Trapote (ESP) and Caept’n Hook were foot-perfect but didn’t threaten the lead when stopping the clock on 40.06. Like Epaillard, Great Britain’s Robert Whitaker (GBR) and Gentleman also clipped the penultimate oxer while posting a competitive time, but Bucci and Pallieter made no mistake.

**Piergiorgio Bucci** (ITA) & **Pallieter vd N.Ranch**

Cutting every corner without losing balance and galloping every inch of the way, the pair scorched through the finish in 36.55 seconds to really put it up to the remaining three.

**Richard Vogel** (GER) & **Phenyo van het Keysersbos**

Australia’s Edwina Alexander (AUS) and Iron Dames Cydello left all the timber intact, but their time of 40.16 seconds would only be good enough for fifth place when Germany’s Richard Vogel (GER) and the ten-year-old Phenyo van het Keysersbos came closest to Bucci’s winning team when the clock showed 36.66 seconds for runner-up spot. They looked set to topple the Italian coming down the last line, but were denied the win by just 0.11 seconds. Delestre, Trapote and Tops-Alexander lined up in the next three places.

Delighted
Bucci, one of the most popular riders on the Italian and international circuit, was delighted with his well-deserved result.
“I’m very, very proud and very, very happy – it’s my first big win with this horse. I’m riding him for no more than three or four months and it’s a fantastic horse, now we really start to understand each other. He’s competitive, intelligent and I’m really happy for him and for his owner Francesca who is here. This is the best place to start winning with him! I’ve had a lot of great years at Verona but never a great result like this one! So it’s a bit special!”, he said.

Clever
“This horse is so clever. I call him Artificial Intelligence, he’s the type of horse that’s always thinking with me so it’s great to ride him. The quality and such a cool brain, it’s fantastic and I feel really lucky to have him”, he said of the attractive grey who has also been competed by fellow-Italians Alberto Zorzi, Giampiero Garafalo and Filippo Bassan since ridden by Dutchman Loewie Joppen up to September 2024.

On Sunday, Bucci will take his other new ride, Cortez van’t Klein Asdonk Z, in the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup qualifier which will bring Jumping Verona 2025 to a close.
There is plenty more excitement to come……