February 15, 2026 
Hallowed Be Thy Name, Mimi Gochman.
Breaking The Final Frontier of show jumping glory, the 22-year-old American rode to her first five-star and first World Cup victory in the 1.60m CSI5*-W Longines FEI Jumping World Cup on Saturday. Aboard Iron Maiden, aka “Bruce” (after the Iron Maiden lead singer Bruce Dickinson), Gochman bested a 38-horse field and Bernardo Costa Cobral’s course in Ocala.
First to return for the short course, Gochman gave her horse a trademark peck before the buzzer—while humming (we assume) the lyrics to the The Loneliness Of The Long Distance Runner in her head.
I’ve got to keep running the course,
I’ve got to keep running and win at all costs,
I’ve got to keep going, be strong,
Must be so determined and push myself on.
Running Free to the finish line, they set the standard in 41.79 seconds. Bruce, aka The Trooper, made a massive effort a the fifth element but left all the poles in place.
“He can sometimes get a bit stressed out in the jump-off, and I just wanted to keep it really smooth with him,” said Gochman. “I was already so thrilled with the performance from the first round, and he really stepped up. He kind of saved me a little bit at one of the jumps, and he really gave me a good effort, so I was very happy.”
Because if you gonna die, die with your boots, amiright Bruce?
Three rounds later The Writing on the Wall spelled victory as the only double clear.
Coming Home to Gochman’s string in the summer 2025, Iron Maiden was previously campaigned by Roberto Teran and is Blood Brothers with Mario Deslauriers’ Bardolina 2 and Max Kühner’s Chardonnay 79.
“I always felt like he had the capability and scope,” she said of the 11-year-old Zangersheide gelding (Clarimo x Kashmir van’t Schuttershof). “He’s super, super brave. He can jump over mountains, and we have worked on being consistent, but I always knew he was super special.”
The young Gochman has Burning Ambition and at just 22, no Wasted Years. Saturday’s win secured her place at the 2026 Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final.
“I’m super excited,” she remarked. “I wasn’t expecting to win, and I’m very proud of my team and grateful to my parents and everyone at Baxter Hill and Oakland. It’s been a huge team effort, and it’s something I’ve been working toward for a long time, so I’m super, super happy.”
Or in the words of Bruce: Now there’s something to bet on, You’ve got nothing to lose.
Tickets for the 2026 Longines FEI World Cup Finals in Fort Worth, Texas, this April 8–12 are on sale now at fortworth2026.com.
