OCALA, Fla.--Daniel Bluman on Corbie V.V. won the $200,000 Grand Prix CSI4* on Saturday evening, Feb. 21 at the World Equestrian Center.
Daniel Bluman on Corbie V.V. (Photo by Andrew Ryback)Six of the 23 entries were clean over the course set by Colm Quinn of Ireland, and four went clean again in the jump-off.
German Olympian Andre Thieme on DSP Chakaria was the first to go in the jump-off and was clean to set the time to beat of 38.16 seconds.
World No. 2 Kent Farrington rode Descartes SR, a promising new horse that already earned a win during Week I at WEC, and he finished clean in 37.42 seconds to take over the lead.
“We’ve been doing some smaller classes, trying to get him a bit more trained,” Farrington said. “He’s a spectacular jumper, but he’s just coming 9 years old, so he doesn’t have much experience. This is his first four-star; I don’t think he’s ever done a three-star. He’s made such a good amount of progress in such a short time. I’m very, very proud of the horse and really happy with the result.”
Then last year’s Week VIII Grand Prix winner Brian Moggre on, MTM Vivre Le Reve was clean in 37.67 seconds to finish just behind Farrington.
“To have the same horse, a bit older now, come back this exact week and give another double clear is really all I could ask for,” Moggre said. “He continues to give his best.”
WORLD No. 18 Bluman on Corbie V.V., a mare he has ridden for five years, was last to go in the jump-off.
“I’ve been trying to develop her in the best way,” Bluman said. “She has a lot of personality. She’s not an easy horse to ride, but at the same time, she has incredible talent. I just try to stay out of her way, but also show her the best route so that we can beat these guys that are so fast.”
“Brian and I were commenting on the class as Kent was going." said Bluman. "We were in the warm-up, asking each other, ‘What were you going to do?’ and we decided we were going to do this. Then Kent did something else. So we said, ‘Well, I guess we have to do that, right?’ Because otherwise there’s no chance. ‘Corbie’ is very fast; she has a lot of speed. She’s not the easiest, but if I can stay close to the numbers they’re doing, I might just be able to get them.”
The revised plan paid off, with Bluman shaving two-tenths of a second off the leading time in 37.17 seconds to win.
Farrington was second with Moggre third and Thieme fourth.
“I love this place,” Bluman said. “As you all know, we have competitions every week in Wellington, and Wellington is home for all of us. So the fact that we are leaving our homes and coming here to show tells you how much we love it here. The facility is fantastic. Everyone in the world, and especially in the United States, is very lucky to have a place like this where we can come, enjoy ourselves, and produce our horses.”
