The Inside Track | Part 5
Everything came down to the final two legs.
Published
03 AUG 2026
Est. reading time
2 min
Kentucky kicked off the closing stretch with the Trailblazers becoming the first MLSJ team to win the Team Competition at the venue. Lillie Keenan and Charlotte Jacobs helped send the team to the Gold Medal Match, where Abdel Saïd secured the victory. Maccabi finished second, while the Northern Lights claimed bronze.
The 5* Grand Prix delivered another standout moment of Season 5. Kent Farrington guided Descartes SR to victory in the horse's first-ever 5* Grand Prix appearance, with McLain Ward and Shane Sweetnam completing the podium. The Trailblazers' Team Competition victory, combined with Natalie Dean's sixth-place Grand Prix finish, earned them the overall Leg 8 title.
The season then shifted to Monterrey for a winner-take-all finale.
With double points on offer, Maccabi arrived with an all-Bluman lineup for the first time all season. Daniel and Mark Bluman both produced double clear performances before Mark sealed the Team Competition victory in the Gold Medal Match, putting Maccabi in position to claim the Season 5 title.
Rodrigo Pessoa closed out the year with his first MLSJ 5* Grand Prix victory, while Marilyn Little and Kent Farrington rounded out the podium. Farrington's third-place finish was enough to secure the individual championship, while Maccabi's Team Competition win and fourth-place Grand Prix finish from Mark Bluman sealed the League title.
Two legs. Two champions. A fitting finish to a Season 5 that delivered until the very last class.
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