Of the 52 horse-and-rider combinations representing nine countries entered in Friday’s $65,000 Welcome Stake of North Salem presented by The Kincade Group, only three went double-clear over Alan Wade’s initial 16-effort course and shortened jump-off track set at 1.50m. Bringing home top honors were Colombia’s Mark Bluman and Ubiluc, who finished on a faultless score of 37.87 seconds.

The Old Salem Farm Spring Horse Shows are one of the premier stops on the nation’s hunter-jumper horse show circuit, offering a full schedule of world-class competition May 7-12 and May 14-19 that features the nation’s best in equestrian sport.

Photo – Mark Bluman (COL) and Ubiluc won Friday’s $65,000 Welcome Stake of North Salem presented by The Kincade Group (© SEL Photography)

Twelve entries made it to the jump-off for the $65,000 Welcome Stake of North Salem presented by The Kincade Group, but several downed rails scattered around the course left only three standing with faultless rounds. Bluman led the way with Over The Top Stables LLC’s 12-year-old Mecklenburg gelding, tripping the timers in a steady 37.87 seconds.

“The first round had a tough track,” Bluman said. “I mean, it’s Alan Wade, one of the best course designers in the world. He set a big enough track with a tricky combination [#4AB] that came early. My horse handled it well, and he had two spectacular rounds. In the jump-off, my goal was just to have a nice, clean round, and then I had to basically hope for the best. I was fast enough for the win, but I didn’t want to go too fast and risk a rail.

Run Fast

“In the first round, he already looked at the early fences a little bit, so I actually made my plan to come nicely into that combination [#3 to #4AB] and run fast everywhere else [for the jump-off],” he added. “I knew Conor Swail would come in just blazing, and I was just lucky enough today. He had one down, but he blazed my time and was two seconds faster than me. Sometimes, you just need a little luck, and today it stayed on my side.”

Jessica Mendoza (GBR) and In The Air (© SEL Photography)

Jessica Mendoza (GBR) claimed second place in 37.99 seconds with her 11-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare In The Air, while Philip McGuane (IRL) finished third in 42.60 seconds aboard Paso Doble SCF, Evergate Stables LLC’s 9-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare. The three fastest teams – Conor Swail (IRL) and his own Casturano, Jordan Coyle (IRL) and Elan Farm’s Chaccolino, and Rodrigo Pessoa (BRA) and Artemis Equestrian Farm LLC’s Dhalida – landed in fourth (0/4/35.76), fifth (0/4/37.02), and sixth (0/4/37.73), respectively, after dropping a rail each.

“Ubiluc is a horse that’s been part of the family since he was six years old,” Bluman said. “I rode him a bit when he was 6 and 7, and then my cousin Daniel took over the ride for five years. Last year, he had plenty of horses and I didn’t have as many, so he said I could take the ride back and campaign. It’s been paying off well for me; I’ve broken into the Top 100 riders in the world, and it’s all thanks to Ubiluc.”

Setting the Time

Earlier in the day, 53 entries representing eight countries challenged Wade’s 15-effort course in the $25,000 Old Salem Farm 1.40-1.45m Jumper Classic, with 15 pairs advancing to an immediate jump-off. Nineteen-year-old Mimi Gochman (USA) set an early time to beat in the first third of the class, posting a double-clear score of 31.932 seconds aboard Gochman Sport Horse LLC’s Gigi’s Girl BH. She and Gigi ultimately finished over a full second ahead of their fellow competitors.

“I try not to get too intimidated [by the faster international riders],” Gochman said. “I mostly try to focus on myself, but I definitely look out for them and know who they are. I’m always watching and seeing what they’re doing to figure out what I could do better… I watched Jordan [Coyle] and Darragh [Kenny] do the course before me. They were the first to do the inside turn, so I knew that it was possible and I just needed to make sure I did it right. I knew I had to give my mare a good shot at it, and I think that with a more experienced horse like she is, she knew what I was asking for and just stepped right up.

Lucky Enough

“I’m lucky enough to know my horse very well at this point,” she added. “We’ve been partnered for almost six years now. I know her, she knows me, and I knew where I had to go quick because she’s not the most naturally quick horse. I’m lucky enough that she’s really scopey and has a huge stride, so I used that to our advantage. I was able to do seven [strides] on the turn at the top of the ring as well as the inside turn toward the end. Luckily, that turn went well for us, and I made the last line in seven strides, which I believe was more of a leave-out than everyone else.

“That definitely gave me a bit of an edge, but I just got lucky,” she continued. “I mean, anyone could’ve beaten me there; there were so many fast riders in the class. Thankfully, everything came up very naturally for us, and our plan worked for today.”

With Gochman leading by a full second, the five highest-placing riders in the $25,000 Old Salem Farm 1.40-1.45m Jumper Classic came from five countries. Bluman finished second aboard his Quick Chick 3 (0/0/33.135), with Stephen Moore (IRL) in third aboard Oakland Ventures LLC’s Diva Karef BH (0/0/33.495), Pessoa in fourth aboard Artemis Equestrian Farm LLC’s Eclat Du Cerisier (0/0/33.644), and Erynn Ballard (CAN) in fifth aboard Ilan Ferder’s De Flor 111 Z (0/0/33.754).

Celebrating Grooms

Olga Kruglova and La Serra (Photo: © SEL Photography)

Professional grooms were then celebrated to conclude Friday’s competition in the Old Salem Farm International Arena, with several hunter and jumper grooms presenting the horses in their care for the $5,000 Groom’s Class presented by McLain Ward, Inc. Prizes included ribbons, a professional grooming box from McLain Ward, Inc., for the winners, and backpacks donated by Horseflight for all other competitors. There will also be a Groom’s Breakfast Sponsored by Maarten Huygens Horse Sales on Saturday to thank these hard-working individuals for their contributions to the sport.

The grooms of Castle Hill Farm walked away with top honors in both divisions of the $5,000 Groom’s Class – Olga Kruglova earned first in the jumper division for her top-notch care of McLain Ward’s (USA) mare La Serra, while David Valdivia won the hunter division for his work with In My Dreams, Lilly Ward’s Small Pony Hunter mare.

In the Hedge and June Road hunter rings, Privet Farm LLC’s Tradition brought home the Grand Adult Amateur Hunter Championship after a near-sweep of the Adult Amateur 50 & Over division with Mimi Moulton of Greenwich, CT, in the irons. Other hunter champions included Twin Oaks Ventures LLC’s Caracas 113, ridden by Devon Corrigan of Brewster, NY, in the Adult Amateur Hunter 18-35, and First Blue LLC’s Blue Romance, ridden by Taylor Bodson of Greenwich, CT, in the Adult Amateur Hunter 36-49.

Full show results can be found at HorseShowsOnline.com.

For more information on Old Salem Farm and the Old Salem Farm Spring Horse Shows, please visit www.OldSalemFarm.net