Daniel Bluman (ISR) celebrated a win in the $36,000 CSI5*-W Winning Round with longtime partner, Gemma W, on Saturday during the second of three weeks at the Traverse City Tournament of Champions. Highlighted by Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ North American League qualifying events, the Tournament of Champions concludes a 13-week season at Traverse City Horse Shows.
Fresh off an appearance at the Paris Olympics, Bluman entered the Turtle Creek Casino & Hotel International Ring at Flintfields Horse Park as one of 39 to contest Alan Wade’s (IRL) two-round track. One of ten to return for the deciding second round, the 34-year-old bested the rest with his 13-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare (Luidam x Unaniem) owned by Blue Star Investments and Over The Top Stables. Gemma W stretch across the final timers in 32.91 seconds to top Thursday’s CSI5*-W Speed victors, Mclain Ward (USA) and First Lady.
Ward and the 11-year-old Oldenburg mare (Don Diarado x Lordanos), owned by Robin Parsky, stopped the clock at 33.49 seconds to hold on for second. Fellow U.S. rider Alise Oken piloted Bonhomme Richard, a 13-year-old Selle Français stallion (Catoki x Quaprice Bois Margot), owned by Hi Hopes Farm, to third in 35.90 seconds.
“She’s won her fair share of classes and grand prix; she’s a great competitor,” said Bluman of the mare that’s been a part of his string for many years, and was his mount for the 2023 FEI World Cup™ Final in Omaha, NE. “She’s now entering a later stage of her career. I think that she’s starting to ask me to just pick those biggest classes and let her play in some that she doesn’t have to try quite so hard in.
“I’ve been more focused on developing the young ones and taking care of the older horses,” continued Bluman, currently ranked within the top 50 in the world. “So, it’s nice when you get to win one. The format today put pressure on at the end of the class, and she’s deceptively fast, especially at this time of her career.”
Bluman’s attention now turns to Sunday’s $340,000 Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Traverse City when he will step nine-year-old Corbie V.V. up to the big leagues.
“We’re always very happy to come to Michigan, and to have these two fantastic weeks in the fall back to back at a high level of competition is great,” concluded Bluman.
Alessandra Volpi Clocks Two-Star Victory on Belinda
International action in the Turtle Creek Casino & Hotel International Ring continued to climb on Saturday afternoon as a field of 43 horse-and-rider combinations found their way in the $32,000 CSI2* Classic. Following a fast field of jump-off competitors, the U.S. national anthem rang loud for Alessandra Volpi and her ever-reliable partner Berlinda.
Alan Wade once again designed a technical track where 13 pairings advanced to the short course. Volpi returned early in the second round, but knowing her mare’s strengths well, she played her cards right and was ultimately uncatchable with a time of 31.50 seconds.
“Berlinda has been my partner through pretty much my entire career at the top level,” explained Volpi of her 16-year-old mare (Berlin x Gento). “I got her about four years ago now and she took me into my first five-stars and my first Nations Cup Championships. She’s a bit on the older side now so we stepped her back down to where she feels happy and comfortable.
“She loves to go fast, and she loves to win so it’s just great to have her at this level feeling good,” Volpi continued. “There were a lot of fast people coming after me, but she’s got quite a quick stride across the ground, and she turns well. I think my turn back to the Longines vertical was quite tight.”
Volpi is one of many with a packed calendar during the venue’s first Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ North American League qualifying event, competing at both the two and the five-star level.
“There is a lot of jumping coming up this fall and this is kind of the start of it,” she described. “It’s nice to have the first World Cup qualifier outdoors, which may be a bit unusual, but is a good introduction for inexperienced horses into the league. The show has done an excellent job bringing in a good, tough course designer in Alan Wade and a good field of competitive riders. It’s the perfect intro to the rest of the season.”
Fellow American athlete Hunter Holloway raced into second with Blue Star Investment’s eight-year-old Swedish Warmblood gelding, Corlando (Corporal VDL x Laptop), as they added just under a second to Volpi’s time and finished in 32.30 seconds. Roberto Teran Tarfur (COL) joined the Americans in the victory gallop with the third-best finish riding Santana, owned by Rocking Basilisk Farm. He and the 11-year-old Holsteiner gelding (Cascadello x Carthago) landed just off the pace in 32.68 seconds.
For complete results, click here.
The second week of the Tournament of Champions welcomes some of the world’s best to Flintfields Horse Park for a chance to win the $340,000 Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Traverse City. The event is the first qualifier as part of the North America League on the road to the prestigious FEI World Cup™ Final in Basel, Switzerland. To learn more about the FEI North American League (NAL), click here.
Schuyler Dayner Talks Her Way to ASPCA Maclay Regional Championship Win
Schuyler Dayner is making the most of her final junior year by punching her ticket to the National Horse Show’s ASPCA Maclay National Championship after a win in the Regional Championship for Region 4 on Saturday at Traverse City Horse Shows. Seventeen riders took to the first course, which was followed by a test flat before the top six returned for final testing over fences.
Dayner, who hails from Tampa, FL, and Talk, owned by Donald Stewart, claimed the regional title by thinking outside the box. They executed a bold hand gallop to the first jump before landing the counter lead and holding it through their halt test. Other riders in the test chose to counter-canter directly to the first fence.
“This is a super exciting win ahead of the finals,” said Dayner. “This is my final junior year so I’m hoping for a successful indoor season.”
Dayner will be attending indoors with her winning mount Talk, a nine-year old Belgian Warmblood, who she’s come to master over the summer season. “He’s such a great horse,” said Dayner. “I do my best to stay out of his way and let him do his thing because he knows the way.”
Thanks to the training of Talk’s owner and Dayner’s trainer, Don Stewart, Dayner felt more than prepared to take on the all-determining test. “We practice a lot of tests; it’s a majority of our lessons so when we get put in these situations, we know how to be bold and brilliant while still doing what our horse is good at,” explained Dayner, who is currently a senior in high school and committed to attending Southern Methodist University in Texas to compete on their equestrian team.
Following Saturday’s regionals, qualified riders will compete at the ASPCA Maclay National Championship at the National Horse Show in Lexington, KY, in November. The championship is now the next stop for 17-year-old Dayner.
Taking the regional reserve was Collin Sweetnam of Wellington, FL, and Kosher, owned by Brookside Pine Farms, LLC. Claiming third was Lily Epstein of Coral Gables, FL, and her own Greyson PH.
For full results, click here.
