Mark Bluman & Phelina de Septon Supreme in the $45,000 Wölffer Welcome Stake CSI 3*

By Jumper News on 2025-07-04

Lake Placid, United States – July 03, 2025 – Mark Bluman (COL) won the $45,000 Wölffer Estate Welcome Stake CSI 3*, Thursday’s featured class at the I Love New York Horse Show, Week 2 of the 2025 Lake Placid Horse Shows (LPHS), Sponsored by The Bainbridge Companies, and Presented by Sea Shore Stables. Bluman claimed the win over a 36-horse field at the newly renovated North Elba Showgrounds. The horse shows, sanctioned by the International Equestrian Federation (FEI), continue through Sunday, July 6.

Riding Mario Deslauriers Inc.’s 10-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare Phelina de Septon, Bluman was one of 11 entries to reach the jump-off by riding clean over the 16-effort first-round course designed by Alan Wade (IRL). Fourth to try the eight-effort jump-off course, Bluman turned in the first clean round, finishing in 38.19 seconds to take the lead. Of the remaining entries, only Brian Moggre (USA) and Evergate Stables 15-year-old Belgian Sport Horse gelding Edgard de Prefontaine, winners of the first week’s $45,000 FEI 3* Welcome Stake sponsored by STX Horse Vans and Keith Hughes, could beat his time. They finished in 36.20 seconds, but a rail down at the last fence cost them four faults and gave them an eventual fifth-place finish.

Sam Walker (CAN) placed second with a clean round in 38.69 seconds on Anne Holman’s 9-year-old Hanoverian gelding Carruso PJ, with third going to Campbell Brown (USA) who finished clean in 40.81 seconds on MMK Equestrian’s 11-year-old Zangersheide mare Colina Z. Fourth went to Rebecca Conway (USA), who was clean in 43.39 seconds on Con Coleur, Blue Hill Farm LLC’s 16-year-old Hanoverian gelding.

“I was early in the jump-off, and I stuck to my plan,” Bluman said. “The mare is naturally very fast, so I counted on her moving fast across the ground and it worked out. Sam (Walker) was very close, and I think he could have maybe done one less and caught me, but a lot of people were trying to go fast and rails kept coming down. Sometimes you need luck, and today, the luck was on our side.”