Bluman and the 15-year-old Dutch-bred mare (Luidam x Unaniem), owned by Blue Star Investments and Over The Top Stables, set a target time of 43.39 seconds over a jump-off track designed by Nick Granat (USA). 
 
The USA’s Megan McDermott was the closest challenger, stopping the clock at 43.92 seconds riding Da Vinci DV Z, a 9-year-old Zangersheide gelding (Dominator 2000 Z x Turbo van't Gestelhof) owned by Counter Balance, LLC. Rounding out the podium, Philip McGuane (IRL) rode Paso Doble SCF, an 11-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare (Diktator van de Boslandhoeve x Cassini I), for owner Evergate Stables. They stopped the clock at 45.68 seconds.
 
“I saw Paso Doble go and my plan was to do that same track,” said Bluman about his short-course strategy with Gemma W, his mount for the 2023 FEI World Cup™ Final in Omaha. “Gemma is very quick, so she made up some ground. Even if I had ended up second today, I would have been just as happy. I got a little bit of luck.
 
“It’s incredible to have a horse like her—she doesn't need to prove anything,” continued Bluman, whose current goal is to keep Gemma W fit for the upcoming FEI World Cup™ North American League events in Washington and Toronto. 
 Hailing less than an hour down the road in North Salem, N.Y., Bluman raved about the growing opportunities to compete at a top level in the Northeast, a shared goal of the Highlands team when creating the event two years ago. 
 
“It’s fantastic to have this show here; that has been the goal,” added Bluman. “We as a community of riders have been working for events like this over the last decade. You can see that now—when we aren’t in Florida, this is now the place to be and we're home. The horses love it here—it’s a great place, and we are very lucky.”
 
Complete results can be found HERE.