Jockey Tittia’s Fall and Concerns: What Happened at the Palio di Siena

A historic Palio di Siena in terms of its trophy case, but also marked by a disastrous fall after the race had already ended. Giovanni Atzeni, known as “Tittia,” secured his thirteenth career victory, reaffirming his status as the current “King of the Piazza,” while also giving the Contrada del Nicchio—the very same one that gave him his debut on the Campo—a victory it had been awaiting since 1998, marking the second “cuffia” in a single year. For the 41-year-old jockey—who has tied the legendary Trecciolino’s record and even achieved his fourth “cappotto” in Siena—a day of absolute glory ended, however, in the hospital.

In the frenzied moments following his victory, in fact, the Contrada members flooded the Campo, and one of them inadvertently struck the horse Anda e Bola on one leg, causing it to crash to the ground and drag “Tittia” down with it. Atzeni was immediately protected by others nearby, averting a scenario that could have been tragic on a day that instead marks a celebration the Nicchio has awaited for over 28 years. The Italian-German jockey, as reported live by La7, was carried out of the Piazza on a stretcher and then taken by ambulance to Santa Maria alle Scotte Hospital, Siena’s university medical center. He arrived at the hospital without ever losing consciousness, and after the necessary medical examinations, his condition was deemed good. Later, *La Nazione* confirmed that he had suffered a head injury. Fortunately, there were no consequences, not even for the horse Anda e Bola.

Today’s victory takes on even greater significance when considered within its historical context: for the first time since as far back as 1794—a full 232 years ago—two “cuffie” have changed hands in the same year. In fact, just last July, “Tittia” had already given L’Aquila a historic triumph in the Palio di Provenzano, ending a drought that had lasted since July 3, 1992, when the legendary Aceto — whose real name was Andrea Degortes, with 14 career victories to his name — prevailed over Galleggiante. With today’s thirteenth victory, Atzeni is now just one win shy of the all-time record held by his fellow Sardinian.

The race in this edition was far from straightforward, marked by a total wait of over an hour and a quarter. The starting position drawn at the starting ropes proved decisive: the Nicchio had drawn number 8, while the Lupa—the heavy favorite with jockey Dino Pes and the horse Diodoro, a two-time winner in three editions—started from the pole position. L’Aquila was even coming from behind. The starter was forced to have the horses leave the starting gates as many as four times, lowering the gates three times during the extremely long start. The final start caught Giraffa and Nicchio out of position, but that didn’t prevent Anda and Bola from surging toward a victory that Selva, Torre, and Istrice were never in a position to seriously challenge.

The horse Anda e Bola, too, carries with it a noteworthy recent history on the Sienese tuff. In the 2023 Assunta—one of the most legendary Palios of recent decades—it was he who stumbled at the final San Martino, bringing Jonatan Bartoletti, known as “Scompiglio,” to the ground just when it seemed he might contend for the victory. From that moment of misfortune, the horse has managed to stage an extraordinary comeback in the eyes of experts, culminating in his first victory in the 2025 Palio dell’Assunta for the Montone and now in this second triumph with the Nicchio, which definitively establishes him among the most competitive horses of recent years on the Piazza del Campo.

Nor is this the first time that “Tittia” has experienced a Palio with a dramatic ending. In the 2023 Assunta Palio — the very same edition in which Anda and Bola had fallen — it was Atzeni himself who was the first major protagonist of the fall, crashing into the barriers at the second San Martino turn as early as the first lap and dragging Carlo Sanna, known as “Brigante,” with him, who was following him in the saddle of the Oca’s horse. That double fall completely reshuffled the deck, paving the way for one of the most incredible finishes in the history of the Palio: the Oca’s riderless horse, Zio Frac, held off all attempts to catch up and crossed the finish line first, giving the Fontebranda contrada a victory that has gone down in legend. Today, three years later, fate has dealt Atzeni a scenario that is, in some ways, a mirror image: absolute glory first, then the fall—with a finale that was, fortunately, far more reassuring.