Mark Bluman marked a memorable debut at Spruce Meadows by winning the RBC Grand Prix of Canada, presented by Rolex, during the National show jumping tournament on Saturday. The Colombian rider and his horse Landon de Nyze delivered one of only two double-clear performances of the day, stopping the clock in 44.44 seconds to secure victory.
“It’s my first time here,” Bluman noted. “So managing the long jumps and long rails it’s a bit of an adjustment, but you know, the horses fly on this footing — I’m not a huge grass rider myself, but this grass is unbelievable. Riding in there (the International Ring) is just the best feeling ever.”
Belgian rider Jos Verlooy and Nixon Van’t Meulenhof also produced a fault-free jump-off effort, finishing second in 49.02 seconds. Rounding out the podium was Irish rider Daniel Coyle, whose blistering jump-off time of 41.99 seconds aboard Farrel proved the fastest of the afternoon. A single rail down left the pair on four faults, earning third place despite their impressive speed.
Bluman earned his second significant victory in as many days after finishing 1-2 in the RBC Capital Markets Cup, presented by Rolex, on Friday night. Also on Saturday, Bluman’s countryman John Perez Bohm captured the 1.45M ATCO Cup with Lareusa S.
The National tournament wraps up on Sunday.
