BRIDGEHAMPTON, N.Y.--Israel’s Mark Bluman on Ubiluc won the $40,000 1.45m National Grand Prix for the second year in a row on Wednesday, Aug. 26 at the Hampton Classic
Mark Bluman on Ubiluc (Photo by KindMedia)Bluman, just back from competing for Israel in the World Championship in Aachen, finished clean in 33.057 seconds.
JJ Torano on I am Inge, also just back from Aachen, where he won the Speed in the U25 competition, placed second, clean in 33.622.
Ariana Marnell was third in 35.004 seconds on Jikke-Cara,
Nine of 19 competitors were clean over Nick Granat’s 15 jump course in the National Grand Prix, and eight returned to jump off.
Bluman was just the second to go in the jump-off, setting the time to beat at 33.057 seconds.
Everyone that followed did their best to beat him, but even Bluman’s second mount Phelina De Septon, who won the class in 2025, couldn’t beat that time.
“HE'S MY MOST seasoned horse,” Bluman said of Ubiluc. “This was in preparation for next week’s 5* in Canada. He’s very seasoned, so we just took advantage of having a good time today. JJ got very close to our time. He’s an unbelievably young talent and there is a bright future ahead of him, but he still needs to work a little more to get to the old bucks!”
Torano rode I Am Inge, with whom he earned double Silver medals in the 2026 North American Youth Championships (NAYC) Young Rider Final.
Molly Ashe Cawley now leads the $30,000 Longines Rider Challenges with 144 points.
Bluman has moved into second place with 140 points.
David Blake of Ireland is third with 125 points.
The Challenges will be awarded as two separate bonuses for the FEI 5* and 2* divisions following the $400,000 Hampton Classic 5* Grand Prix and $70,000 Hampton Classic 2* Grand Prix on Sunday.
