the electronic telegraph six arrested for attacking palio jockey who defected by bruce johnston in rome filed NUMBER NUMBER NUMBER police waded into the intrigues and enmities surrounding the palio siena s traditional bareback horse race for the first time yesterday arresting six people for beating up a star jockey who defected to a rival team angry spectators attack giuseppe pes at the palio horse race in siena giuseppe pes a champion jockey of sardinian extraction who has won the palio nine times in NUMBER runs was closely associated with the istrice or porcupine contrada section of town until the race earlier this month istrice did not have a horse in the contest only NUMBER of the NUMBER contradas take part in each palio but despite promises to the contrary moments before the off mr pes mounted the horse of lupa or she wolf lupa are istrice s historic rivals and the defection was not taken well lupa did not win victory going instead to tartuca tortoise as its supporters erupted into joyous celebrations mr pes was pulled from his mount by istrice members and savagely beaten and kicked for seven minutes mr pes NUMBER whose jacket with his contrada s colours was torn from his back was sent to hospital with fractures cuts and bruises three of his attendants who tried to intervene were also beaten police yesterday arrested six people they said had been identified as the attackers from video footage experts said it was the first time that members of a contrada known as contradaioli had been arrested for beating up a jockey despite the fact that such episodes belong to the race s ancient traditions the palio which was first raced in the NUMBERth century is held twice a year on the cobbles of siena s main square for weeks beforehand supporters parade through the city singing waving flags and wearing their contrada colours but by the day of the race the good humour evaporates the event has no rules and is prepared for and run amid an extraordinary undercurrent of intrigue and even violence jockeys may swap sides at the last minute take bribes and whip rivals horses and more so long as they do not grab their reins the origins of the contrada lie in the middle ages when the neighbourhoods boundaries were set out to aid the many mercenary companies hired to defend siena s fiercely earned independence from florence and other city states the first palio of the year takes place on july NUMBER to commemorate the miracles of the madonna of provenzano and a second race on aug NUMBER marks the feast of the assumption of the virgin yahoo groups sponsor NUMBER dvds free s p join now URL to unsubscribe from this group send an email to forteana unsubscribe URL your use of yahoo groups is subject to URL 