The story of a passion, a life of success
La Cucchetta, nestled in the greenery of Parco dei Lagoni and overlooking Lake Maggiore, with its mild climate reminiscent of the Mediterranean, is an ideal place for breeding English thoroughbreds. Today, following in the footsteps of Federico Tesio, one of the most significant figures in Italian horse racing is Bruno Grizzetti.
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Receiving his love for horses from his father, Edo, who owned an equestrian center, Bruno Grizzetti first became a successful show jumper and then a gentleman rider. In 1989, he made his debut as a trainer, immediately achieving prestigious successes at the most important racetracks. Winning the trainer's championship in 2001 and 2002, Grizzetti collected all the prominent races on the Italian calendar, also achieving accolades abroad and earning the favor of the public and the trust of notable owners.
His successes are never ordinary but always guarantee an adrenaline rush, as exemplified by one of his recent victories: on May 1, 2023, Frankie Dettori rode Vero Atleta of the Incolinx stable to win one of the few classics he had yet to conquer, the Premio Parioli, a Group III race with a purse of 140,000 euros for three-year-old male thoroughbreds over one mile, the Italian equivalent of the English 2000 Guineas.
What is the English Thoroughbred?
Selected for flat racing, the English Thoroughbred is a generous athlete and an aesthetic model capable of evoking unique emotions. The term 'thoroughbred,' literally meaning 'bred in purity,' represents a cultural phenomenon with ancient and illustrious traditions.
Federico Tesio summarized the essence of the Thoroughbred: 'It exists because its selection did not depend on experts, technicians, or zoologists, but on a piece of wood: the winning post at the top of the straight in the Epsom Derby' (the premier race for three-year-olds over a distance of 2420 meters).
Elegant and harmonious, the English Thoroughbred has a elongated and slender form and can be classified into three types: the stayer, taller and longer, used in races between 2100 and 3000 meters and beyond; the sprinter, small and compact, employed in races between 1000 and 1500 meters; and the intermediate, with a sloping croup, inclined shoulder, and relatively short back, capable of performing at its best between 1500 and 2000 meters.
