Twelve weeks of Hermès 1.50m competition came to a peak on Saturday evening in the $150,000 Hermès CSI4* 1.50m Championship Jumper Series Final during the penultimate week of the 2026 Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) at Wellington International. Daniel Bluman (ISR) and Mark Bluman (COL) went head-to-head in a second round, with the top 12 returning to decide the final placing and the season title.
Forty-three qualified entries moved forward to the Hermès Final during the WeatherTech-sponsored WEF 11 over courses designed by Andy Christiansen (USA). Mark sat handily in the lead of both the final and the season aboard 11-year-old Belgian-bred mare Phelina de Septon (Jenson Van’t Meulenhof x Landor S) until his cousin Daniel and seasoned 15-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare Gemma W (Luidam x Unaniem) returned to chase them down.
“Every time that I get to go in the ring on Gemma, it means a lot to me,” said Daniel of the mare owned by Blue Star Investments together with Over The Top Stables that carried him to a top 20 finish at the 2023 World Cup Final in Omaha. “I saw Mark’s jump-off, and it was fast—I didn’t think I could beat them, but I wanted to for sure give it a try. At this point in Gemma’s career, she’s game, and I felt from the beginning that she was going for it.
“If I were standing where he’s standing, I would probably still be very happy,” continued Daniel. “We love for each other to win. He won the last two, and I get to take this one. It’s been a long time since I was that excited after finishing a round—it was so much fun.”
Gemma W’s groom, Phoebe Leger, was presented with the $500 Grooms Award by Double H Farm for his care and preparation of the horse for the evening’s final.
Mark is coming off a streak by winning the last two Hermès 1.50m Qualifiers during WEF 9 and 10, both on different horses. The consistency helped him to secure the season title with his runner-up placing, just one tenth of a second off the lead.
“I was able to compete every single week this season—it’s the first time in my career that I have had a group of horses like this,” said Mark of a season that has kept him at the top of the 1.50m rankings, and includes Phelina de Septon, a mare owned and previously piloted by Canada’s Mario Deslauriers. “When I have Daniel and Gemma coming behind me, I knew I was fast, but I also knew he could get me. I just tried to celebrate and get the crowd involved, trying to rattle him up and maybe catch a rail. The plan didn’t work out, but I am still very happy.”
