Riding Mario Deslauriers Inc.’s 10-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare Phelina De Septon (Jenson van't Meulenhof x Landor S), Bluman was one of 11 entries to reach the jump-off by riding clean over the 16-effort first-round course designed by Alan Wade (IRL). Fourth to try the eight-effort jump-off course, Bluman turned in the first clean round, finishing in 38.19 seconds to take the lead. Of the remaining entries, only Brian Moggre (USA) and Evergate Stables LLC’s 15-year-old Belgian Sport Horse gelding Edgard de Prefontaine (Contact vd Heffinck x Orlando), winners of the first week’s $45,000 CSI3* Welcome Stake sponsored by STX Horse Vans and Keith Hughes, could beat his time. They finished in 36.20 seconds, but a rail down at the last fence cost them four faults and gave them an eventual fifth-place finish.

“I was early in the jump-off, and I stuck to my plan,” Bluman said. “The mare is naturally very fast, so I counted on her moving fast across the ground and it worked out. Sam (Walker) was very close, and I think he could have maybe done one less and caught me, but a lot of people were trying to go fast and rails kept coming down. Sometimes you need luck, and today, the luck was on our side.”

Sam Walker (CAN) placed second with a clean round in 38.69 seconds on Anne Holman’s 9-year-old Hanoverian gelding Carruso PJ (Carridam x Stakkato), with third going to Campbell Brown (USA) who finished clean in 40.81 seconds on MMK Equestrian LLC’s 11-year-old Zangersheide mare Colina Z (C-Ingmar x Carthago). Fourth went to Rebecca Conway (USA), who was clean in 43.39 seconds on Con Coleur (Contendro I x Couleur Rubin), Blue Hill Farm LLC’s 16-year-old Hanoverian gelding.