TerraNova Equestrian Center saw eleven different nations take on the exciting highlight of the weekend at the inaugural Split Rock Sarasota CSI2*, the $100,000 1.45m FEI Grand Prix. After a 16-horse jump-off, Colombia’s Mark Bluman and Over the Top Stables’ Marilyn claimed the lion’s share of the prize money after perfectly executing Olaf Peterson Jr. ‘s (GER) meticulously set course.

The first round of competition suited horse-and-rider combinations well, offering fences at a height of 1.45m and a total of 16 efforts. Jump-off competition began with Thursday’s Welcome winners, Jessica Mendoza (GBR) and Dublin, setting the pace as first to go. Crossing the timers at 34.2 seconds, she held the lead by over two seconds for the following 12 trips. It wasn’t until Alberto Michan (ISR) and Firewall entered the ring that their time proved it could be beat. Michan and the 12-year-old gelding owned by Eduardo Leon bested Mendoza’s time by just one hundredth of a second.

Their lead wouldn’t hold for long, however, as Bluman and the 9-year-old mare were the last to go and gave it their all to finish on a time of 34.05 seconds. Saturday’s win marks both Bluman and Marilyn’s first win in international competition, making their Split Rock Sarasota experience a memorable one. Michan ultimately finished in second place, while Mendoza rounded out the podium in third, with less than two-tenths of a second separating the top three.

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