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The first of the two annual "palio" races was run in Siena on Saturday.

It was one of the tightest finishes anyone could remember with a photo needed to separate the eventual winner Drago from the Torre horse.

Everyone turns to Siena this time of year and again In mid-August and even the Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi was there.    She also had the good fortune of being taken to see the restoration works on the 13th Century fresco "Good Government" by Ambrogio Lorenzetti which won't be open to the public till later in the year.

The runner from our Istrice contrada and the Civetta were taken out by the stewards on Friday after suffering minor injuries.

The Drago contrada's horse Zia Frac was in the very capable hand of jockey Giovanni Atzeni known as "Tittia" (all the jockeys have these nicknames) who was winning his 8th palio and his third consecutive one.  He's 37 and was born in Germany with his father being from Sardinia and his mother German.

The next Palio is in mid-August.