Blue for Bluman & Acajou in the $120,000 Coca-Cola Beverages Florida Grand Prix CSI3* 

07 DEC 25 Ocala, FL

Ilan Bluman & Acajou winning the $120,000 Coca-Cola Beverages Florida Grand Prix CSI3*. Photo by Andrew Ryback Photography.

Ocala, FL – The stands were packed, and the atmosphere was enchanting during World Equestrian Center – Ocala‘s Winter Wonderland and the opening week of the 2025 December Show Series. Forty-one horse-and-rider combinations representing 17 nations converged at the WEC Grand Arena, all aiming for the lion’s share of prize money in the $120,000 Coca-Cola Beverages Florida Grand Prix CSI3*. After an electrifying 10-horse jump-off, it was Colombia’s Ilan Bluman who galloped away with the win aboard his own Acajou (Casallco x Chico’s Boy).

Saturday night’s course matched the festive energy surrounding the iconic arena, featuring gingerbread men, toy soldiers, snowmen, and other holiday-themed decorations. Catsy Cruz (USA) once again designed flowing tracks with a tidy time allowed. An even 10 combinations navigated their way to a clear first round, setting the stage for a thrilling jump-off that included top riders from Ireland, Switzerland, the United States, Canada, Mexico, Germany, Colombia, and Portugal.

Paul O’Shea & Imerald Van’t Voorhof flying to third place. Photo by Andrew Ryback Photography.

Ireland’s Paul O’Shea led the way in the short course, setting the early standard in 35.20 seconds aboard Imerald Partners LLC’s 17-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding, Imerald Van’t Voorhof (Emerald x Bacardi Orange De Muze).

Beat Mändli (SUI) and Cordani PS were the next to challenge, but their 37.86-second effort fell short of the leading time.

Dylan Daly & Cinderella Z soaring to second place. Photo by Andrew Ryback Photography.

Dylan Daly (IRL) followed with a strong performance of his own, piloting Double C Stables’ 15-year-old Zangersheide mare Cinderella Z (Chacco-Blue x Julio Mariner XX) to a blazing 35.12 seconds, edging ahead of O’Shea by just fractions.

Sarah Segal (USA), Gavin Moylan (CAN), Tanimara Macari (MEX), Tiara Bleicher (GER), and Grant Seger (USA) all delivered competitive attempts, but none could catch Daly.

Ilan Bluman & Acajou. Photo by Andrew Ryback Photography.

Second-to-last to return, Ilan Bluman entered the ring with intent aboard his longtime partner Acajou. “I watched the first one, and I knew what I had to do. She’s a fast horse, and I’m a fast rider. I didn’t even count from two to three but, I think I did one less. I just kept going. I wanted to win.”

Bluman and the 10-year-old German Sport Horse mare delivered exactly that. With slick turns and Acajou’s natural footspeed, they stopped the clock in a blistering 34.85 seconds, seizing the top spot on the leaderboard and ultimately securing another international grand prix victory together.

Ilan Bluman & Acajou accept their first-place awards presented by Mason Jordan on behalf of the Roberts family, joined by John Horner, Carlington Williams, Michael Gipe, Brian Miller and Gary Bates of Coca-Cola Beverages Florida. Photo by Andrew Ryback Photography.

Bluman has been developing the talented mare since she was six. “It’s been a long way, and we’ve had our ups and downs. Two and a half years ago, everything changed with her.” Their results reflect that growth: a four-star victory during the 2025 Winter Spectacular Show Series, multiple top finishes over the summer, and successful five-star debuts. “We did some five-stars this summer, and it was great. I was third and sixth in another. We went clear in three of them. She’s a warrior and a winner. When she’s with me, we’re for sure going to go clear, so we’ll try to win for sure.”

$120,000 Coca-Cola Beverages Florida Grand Prix CSI3* Results: 

1 ACAJOU: 2015 German Sport Horse mare by Casallco x Chico’s Boy
Ilan Bluman (COL), Ilan Bluman: 0/0/34.85

2 CINDERELLA Z: 2010 Zangersheide mare by Chacco-blue x Julio Mariner XX
Dylan Daly (IRL), Double C Stables: 0/0/35.12

3 IMERALD VAN’T VOORHOF: 2008 Belgian Warmblood gelding by Emerald x Bacardi Orange De Muze
Paul O’Shea (IRL), Imerald Partners LLC: 0/0/35.20

4 SCOOP DE SEPTON Z: 2014 Zangersheide gelding by Hunters Scendro x Echo Van T Spieveld
Luis Sabino Goncalves (POR), Sigma Stables LLC: 0/0/35.78

5 DAX 68: 2016 Holsteiner by Dinken x San Patrignano Corrado
Tanimara Macari (MEX), Tanimara Macari: 0/0/36.59

6 CORDANI PS: 2014 Hanoverian mare by Balou Du Reventon x Baloubet Du Rouet
Beat Mandli (SUI), Grant Road Partners LLC: 0/0/37.86

7 BOREALE DE FONDCOMBE: 2011 Selle Français mare by Tinka’s Boy x Calvaro
Sarah Segal (USA), Horatio Street Ventures LLC: 0/4/35.29

8 OLIVER VAN’T HEIKE: 2014 Belgian Warmblood by Epleaser Van T Heike x Argentinus
Tiara Bleicher (GER), Tiara Bleicher: 0/4/37.34

9 FRIEDA: 2012 Oldenburg mare by Balou Du Rouet
Grant Seger (USA), Grant Seger: 0/4/37.62

10 BUTTERFLY: 2016 Westphalian mare by Bellini Royal
Gavin Moylan (CAN), Imperial Equine: 0/4/39.24

11 GF DIEGO: 2015 Warmblood gelding by Dirado x Espri
Morgan Ward-Knowlton (USA), Gowe Farms: 2/77.25

12 ITCHCOCK DES DAMES: 2014 Belgian Sport Horse gelding by Marius Claudius x Calvaro F.c 
Jad Dana (LBN), The Itchy Group: 4/71.44

Explore the daily class schedule, orders of go, class counts, and final results on HorseShowing.com. For real-time scoring, check out Ryegate.Live.

Photos courtesy of Andrew Ryback Photography.
Videos available at ClipMyHorse.TV

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