The sun shone brightly, and a slight breeze came over the venue at HITS Hudson Valley, as the thrill of top competition hummed on Saturday, July 19, 2025, where international athletes gathered one final time for the week. Held in the heart of horse country in Saugerties, New York, the incredibly popular HITS Hudson Valley Jumping Tour ® features a weekly CSI3* division, as well as a week of World Champion Hunter Rider (WCHR) competition. Following a high-stakes week featuring the best in show jumping, action culminated in the $116,050 Maria Mendelsohn/Douglas Elliman CSI3* Grand Prix. As first to go in the jump-off, Daniel Bluman (ISR) laid it all on the line, producing an unbeatable finish for the win with longtime partner Gemma W.
With nine nations represented in the starting field of elite riders — including world number one Kent Farrington (USA), world number five McLain Ward (USA), and several other Olympians — course designer Mark McGowan (GBR) was well aware of the task before him as he put the finishing touches on the event’s opening track. Asking challenging questions, including several combinations, a plank fence, and multiple bending lines, McGowan’s course ultimately took the field of 36 horse-and-rider combinations down to 13 pairings to return for the jump-off.
Having produced the first fault-free effort in round one with Gemma W, Over The Top Stables LLC and Blue Star Investment’s 14-year-old KWPN mare (Luidam x Unaniem), Bluman was set to return first, with an impressive lineup still to come. Channeling almost 10 years of experience as a pair, Bluman laid down a blazing ride and an incredible challenge for the rest to follow with a finishing time of 43.13 seconds. While Farrington, Nayel Nassar (EGY), Megan McDermott (USA), and more, all gave it their best shot, the pair’s performance proved too good to top at the class’s completion.
“At this point, if you put her in the right classes where she can be super competitive, there is nothing you can really do that Gemma hasn’t seen or done before,” explained Bluman. “My plan for going first in today’s jump-off was just to do exactly what I did. I knew ours was going to be a time that would take some work to catch, and that there would probably be some people who would catch it but maybe they would end up having a mistake, which is what happened.
“I just as easily could’ve been second or third place today with the jump-off I did, but I thought I played it smart and played it well,” he continued. “Gemma has been a part of our team for almost a decade, so we know each other very well and she loves her job and being a part of the team.”
Bluman is no stranger to the HITS Hudson Valley venue. Based at his family’s Bluman Equestrian in North Salem, New York, he and his family are familiar faces at various rings across the facility.
“First of all, the venue is amazing, and it has turned out to be great for what we do, but, second, and most importantly, we get to come as a family,” said Bluman with his six-year-old son Avi at his side, also dressed in show clothes after competing in the Itty Bitty Jumpers. “It’s very important we get to come and ride together. Everyone is so welcoming. It’s beautiful here, management really wants us to be here, and it’s great for the horses and family. We love coming here.”
Nassar’s time of 43.33 seconds aboard Evergate Stables LLC’s 13-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding (Don VHP Z x Andiamo Z), Donvier, came the closest to catching Bluman, but ended up being good enough for second place. The USA’s Adrienne Sternlicht landed in third, piloting Starlight Farms 1 LLC’s 15-year-old KWPN gelding Faquitol-S (Verdi TN x Carolus H) to cross the timers in 43.98 seconds.
