Io Sono Leggenda - I Am Legend - proclaims the front page of Italy's racing paper, Equos Trotto & Turf.
They're not kidding.
In the Alpine cradle at Merano racecourse - the border with Austria is just a few miles away to the north, with Verona a three-hour train ride to the south - it’s the Italian equivalent of Cheltenham Gold Cup day. The Gran Premio is a unique race - 5,000 metres round a figure-of-eight course and with a couple of obstacles that dwarf anything on show at Aintree.
