Corbie V.V. Z reigns supreme in the CSI4* Grand Prix of Ocala

Last weekend's international competitions on US soil turned into a huge success for the Bluman family and their Z horses! While Mark Bluman and Landon de Nyze already impressed at the Winter Equestrian Festival of Wellington international with a strong Grand Prix performance, a little further down the road at the World Equestrian Centre of Ocala it was his nephew Daniel Bluman who took the lead. Together with the grey mare Corbie V.V. Z, he again came on strong and they wrote the CSI4* Grand Prix on their record with great flair.

Saturday evening in Ocala is traditionally Grand Prix-time and in it last weekend a total of twenty-three combinations made their appearance in the ring. Irish course designer Colm Quinn and his team designed a technical course for this 1.55m class that required precision from start to finish and in which the time allowed was also an important factor. In the end, six combinations managed to jump a clear basic round to secure a ticket for the decisive jump-off. One of those prospective winners were Israeli rider Daniel Bluman and his 11-year-old grey mare Corbie V.V. Z, a daughter of Cornet Obolensky and Chacco-Blue bred by Evelyne and Colin van Vreckom. Bluman and Corbie V.V. Z, who started their competition week in Ocala on Wednesday with a ^5th place in the 1.40m opening class, reappeared in the ring as the very last combination and provided a dream scenario. In the jump-off, they managed to keep zero on the scoreboard again and with a finishing time of 37.17 seconds, after their^2nd place of last month, they now had another Grand Prix victory to take!

Daniel Bluman: "Corbie has a strong personality. She is not easy to ride, but at the same time she is incredibly talented. I try to give her as much space as possible, but at the same time also show her the best route, so we can beat those fast guys."

The four-star competition may have received most of the attention over the past few days, but in addition to that, there was also competition at two-star level in Ocala. In it, Irish rider Daniel Coyle and his 13-year-old mare Urville Z (Ukato x Crown Z - breeder: J.G.M. Meijer) confirmed their good form of the past few weeks. Coyle and Urville Z jumped into the spotlight for the first time on Friday with a ^9th place in the 1.45m class, but experienced their highlight of the weekend again this time during the CSI2* Grand Prix on Sunday morning. In a jump-off for which five combinations also managed to qualify, they managed to put the second fastest time on the scoreboard in 36.41 seconds, but due to a fault on the way, the pair ended up with bronze instead of silver.

Also in this CSI2* Grand Prix, American rider Brian Moggre secured a top five finish with the 8-year-old gelding Johann FS Z (John Doe 5 x Diamant de Semilly - breeder: Sportpferde Felix Schneider). They also ran into four penalties in the jump-off and with a finishing time of 42.80 seconds they secured ^5th place.

There was also a blue/yellow victory within the two-star competition thanks to American rider Aaron Vale and the also 8-year-old stallion Hulu, a son of Untouchable and Canturo born as Uranus Des Dames Z at breeders Hares Des Dames - Demesmaeker. Vale and Hulu, already good for an immediate^2nd place in the 1.35m class on Wednesday, became the overall winners of the 1.40m class on Saturday, where with a finishing time of 58.79 seconds they were just under half a second ahead of their closest pursuer.

Finally, Argentine rider Juan Manuel Bolanos also managed to score a podium place in this 1.40m class with the also 8-year-old stallion Arezzo Z (Air Jordan Alpha Z x Negro - breeder: Patrick Meuris). They crossed the finish line in 59.47 seconds after a clear round, which finally earned them ^3rd place in the standings.