The Sartiglia dei Contadini awards 14 stars and an impeccable rowing by Componidori Daniele Mattu.

The first day of the joust also saw accidents involving two riders and the death of a horse , struck down by a heart attack during the parade .

On Via Mazzini, the pairs don't put on their usual show, but the riders will be able to redeem themselves with the Carpenters' Race.

On Sunday, in front of thousands of spectators, the centuries-old rituals were repeated, accompanied by the traditional sounds of drummers and trumpeters and under the watchful eye of President Salvatore Carta.

The moment when the mask was placed on Daniele Mattu's face was the most intense and emotional. It preceded by a few minutes the moment the race leader mounted his steed, Heavy Impact , and left the Gremio building to lead the procession of 114 riders to Via Duomo, where, in front of the Cathedral of Santa Maria and between two wings of the crowd, the Corsa alla Stella took place .

The challenge opened with the traditional triple crossing of swords, followed by the knights' descents that thrilled the crowd.

At the end of 74 descents (including the two with su stoccu) 14 stars were hit.

After the unfortunate attempt by Su Componidori, the first success was signed by Su Segundu Cristian Sarais Putzulu . The second star came on the eighth descent with Alberto Vacca , the third with Ilaria Rosa (15th descent) and the fourth with Alessio Garau (25th). Elisabetta Sechi followed with the fifth (30th) and the sixth with Giampaolo Mugheddu . The count increases with Paolo Faedda (seventh star on the 39th attempt), Michael Casula (eighth on the 41st descent) and Giovanni Serra (ninth). The tenth center was signed by Federico Fenu and preceded Giancarlo Melis (11th), Nicola Figus (12th), Antonello Mele (13th) and Pierpaolo Maldotti (14th).

(Unioneonline)

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