Georgina Bloomberg and Wes Gordon Celebrated Longines Global Champions Tour With a Post–Horse Show Cocktail Party

It was one of the first weekends in over three months that New York had returned to its usual hum (summer ended; Fashion Week moved eastward), and although fall was just around the corner, Saturday was beautifully sun-kissed as show jumpers and their devoted spectators took to Governors Island for the Longines Global Champions Tour. During the three-day affair—which also makes stops in a handful of other locales like Mexico City, Saint-Tropez, Prague, Shanghai, and Doha—the roving teams of talented showjumpers competed atop their prized ponies. British rider Ben Maher won the final round of the tour, his second time winning this title, with his Dutch-bred horse, Explosion W.

It was the tournament’s first visit to New York in its 13-year history, and over the weekend spectators saw a considerable crew of American jumpers, many of whom reconvened on Saturday night, 60-floors high at chef Danny Meyer’s Financial District eatery, Manhatta. Thanks to the evening’s host, Georgina Bloomberg, the event also lured those outside the equestrian circle like Lauren Remington Platt, Wes Gordon, and Lili Buffet.

“Growing up in New York City, I feel like I’ve gotten good at explaining exactly what showjumping is, but I think events like these help the sport become more visible in America,” Bloomberg told Vogue. “In Europe, it’s broadcast, it’s in the papers, and you can easily follow it. Here, not so much, so the best way to share this sport is in front of these big crowds at big venues like Governors Island, where people may just be walking and having a nice day out, but end up coming to see us.”

Among her fellow jumpers taking a respite from the ring were Jennifer Gates, Jessica Springsteen, and Dani G. Waldman, whose Alexander McQueen ensemble, accessorized with bike shorts and a set of hair extensions crafted using 3,000 blue feathers, stole the show. “I do feel like this sport is becoming more stylish, and it should be,” Waldman told us. “I mean, why not? I want to show my personality when I’m on the horse, not just when I’m walking around the city.”