25/08/2024
Palio Reflection, 17 August 2024. È LUPA!! 🐺🤍🖤🧡
Oh so many thoughts, because WHAT A PALIO. Benitos (C7) was one of four debut horses, and Dino Pes (Velluto) was the oldest jockey in the Piazza, with only 9 Palii to his name (no victories). Absolutely no one had favoured the Lupa to win; all talk in the days preceding the Palio had been about Istrice (Tittia on Viso d’Angelo), Oca (Brigante on Ares Elce), Valdimontone (Scompiglio on Veranu), and Selva (debut jockey, Virgola, on July’s winner, Tabacco). Indeed, it was Istrice’s Palio to lose, and so people assumed Lupa’s strategy was purely defensive as the outcome appeared inevitable. Velluto hadn’t run in Siena since 2017, and before that, 2004, although he has had tremendous success in other races throughout Italy. He skillfully antagonized rival Istrice in between the starting ropes, remaining admirably calm the entire time. Tittia was visibly frustrated throughout the approximately 45 minutes of the mossa (start), and could be seen yelling at Velluto on a number of occasions (quite vehemently, in the Sardinian dialect). There was another part to Lupa’s strategy, however: to WIN (which, ovviamente, is the best way to ensure that your rival loses).
The Captains have tactics for almost every conceivable sequence of their Contrada within the “canapi” (starting ropes). The order is determined by lot and only revealed after the Contrade have arrived at the mossa. Fate was enjoying herself when she determined this lineup, placing Istrice in position 2, then rival Lupa next to it in 3rd. Valdimontone was 8th, with its rival, Nicchio, 9th. Nicchio kept pressing up against Valdimontone, forcing all the horses down the line, leaving Istrice, Onda, and Leocorno often without enough space to join the row. Civetta was keeping an eye on many things outside the ropes from the rincorsa (run-up), as its rival, Leocorno, attempted to stay in the 6th position. The mossiere (starter) was so aggravated by Nicchio that he actually shouted at its jockey on multiple occasions. When Civetta did finally go (the mossiere had prohibited it from even attempting to start quite a few times), Lupa left the ropes first and never lost the lead. Benitos was stronger and faster than anyone (except those in the Lupa) had realized, and Velluto (“Velvet”) ran a beautifully smooth, poetic, masterful race. Lupa triumphed, and everyone else lost. However, there were some other Contrade that celebrated the evening of the 17th because, even if they didn’t get to take home the Drappellone (silk banner), their rivals didn’t either; this, too, is Palio!
Compliments to the Contrada della Lupa for a brilliant Palio, one that had all of the elements to make it truly one for the history books.
There are many more things that could be said, but for now, I urge you to watch this Palio (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-d4Ea3aF6h0), an incredible 3 laps around the most glorious piazza in the world. Evviva il Palio, evviva Siena!
