The Inside Track: Part 2

Three legs into the season, the championship picture was beginning to take shape.

Published

19 JUN 2026

Est. reading time

2 min

Toronto marked the first breakthrough of the year for Maccabi.

In the Team Competition, it was Mark Bluman who delivered when the pressure was highest, securing gold in the Gold Medal Jump-Off to give Maccabi the victory. The momentum continued into the 5* Grand Prix, where Daniel Bluman overcame the defending Toronto winner Kent Farrington to claim the win. With victories in both the team competition and Grand Prix, Maccabi left Toronto atop the overall standings and firmly established themselves as the team to beat.

By the time the League arrived in Greenwich, a new storyline had emerged.

The Trelawny Trailblazers answered in the Team Competition, with Natalie Dean producing a clutch performance in the Gold Medal Jump-Off to lead her team to victory over a hard-charging Maccabi squad. While Maccabi settled for second, they continued to show the consistency that would define much of their season.

The Grand Prix, however, belonged to Kent Farrington.

After finishing runner-up to Daniel Bluman in Toronto, Farrington returned the favour in Greenwich, taking the win while Bluman finished second. It marked the second consecutive leg where the pair occupied the top two positions, laying the foundation for what would become one of the defining rivalries of Season 5.

Three legs in. Two teams standing on top. Two riders refusing to give an inch.

Looking back, Toronto and Greenwich were more than early-season stops. They were the moments where the championship battle truly began.

Watch the full episode on the MLSJ Youtube channel.