Twelve returned for a second round over Paris Olympic course designer Gregory Bodo’s (FRA) track, including three Olympians, an Olympic Champion and two of the world’s top 10. With the pressure on, Gochman—knowing her mount’s abilities—stuck to her plan and rose to the challenge, stopping the clock in a swift 43.99 seconds over runner-up Marilyn Little (USA) on her own La Contessa.

“I looked back at the oxer where I knew five had been a little flat in the first round—if I had a good one in, I could let him canter up there,” said Gochman, 21, of Inclen BH, owned by DG Sport Horse. “My rollback to the vertical and the six put me in a really good flow, and I think that is where I had the time.”

Little piloted La Contessa, an 11-year-old German Warmblood mare by License, notching a time of 44.74 seconds to hang on for second place. Rounding out the all-American female podium, Lillie Keenan took third by a slim margin in 44.80 seconds with Team Nijhof vof’s Highway Tn N.O.P, a 14-year-old Dutch Warmblood Stallion (Eldorado VD Zeshoek TN x Chellano Z). Earlier this month Keenan and Highway TN jumped to the win in the WEF Grand Prix!

Gochman has been paired with Inclen BH for three years, admitting on Thursday that she has found her rhythm and grown the partnership on a foundation of trust. “[Alfie] has such a competitive brain himself and is super level-headed,” she said of the Austrian Warmblood (Stakkato Gold x Raphael). “He really knows how to place himself well, which makes my job really easy.”

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