The Inside Track | Part 4
Two weeks. One venue. Plenty of storylines.
Published
17 JUL 2026
Est. reading time
2 min
Desert International Horse Park hosted Leg 6 and 7 of MLSJ, giving teams the chance to build on momentum from one week to the next with little time to reset.
Leg 6 belonged to Maccabi United. Daniel Bluman delivered in the Gold Medal jump off to secure the Team Competition victory over Nicola Philippaerts and the Archers, while Mark Bluman's double clear and a strong Team Competition debut from Uma O'Neill helped send Maccabi United to the deciding jump off. Helios completed the podium after Richard Vogel won the Bronze Medal jump off.
The $750,000 5* Grand Prix produced one of the closest finishes of Season 5.
Laura Kraut crossed the timers just 0.03 seconds ahead of McLain Ward, matching the narrowest winning margin of the year, while Skylar Wireman finished third. Maccabi United’s Team Competition victory, combined with Daniel Bluman's fourth place Grand Prix finish, earned the team a share of the overall Leg 6 title alongside the Roadrunners.
A week later, the momentum shifted.
The Roadrunners captured the Team Competition as Kaitlin Campbell defeated Daniel Bluman in the Gold Medal jump off, with McLain Ward adding a double clear to help secure the win. Maccabi United finished second, while the Trailblazers claimed third after Conor Swail won the Bronze Medal jump off.
Callie Schott closed out the week with a Grand Prix victory for the Archers, leading the only three double clear combinations alongside Aaron Vale and Jessica Springsteen. Even so, Maccabi United’s consistency throughout the week was enough to earn another overall leg victory, setting the stage for an exciting finish to Season 5.
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