More top-flight success for Pender in Barcelona

  • 5 October 2024, 13:07

Mikey Pender celebrates victory in the Barcelona Grand Prix with Irish Sport Horse HHS Calais last night (Sportfot)

McMahon and Moloney also among international winners

Mikey Pender has provided the Underwriting Exchange Ireland Show Jumping team with a huge boost ahead of tomorrow’s inaugural Longines League Of Nations final in Barcelona, by winning the prestigious five-star Grand Prix with Irish Sport Horse HHS Calais late last night.

Kildare man Pender, who is the ranked fourth in the FEI world rankings for U25 show jumpers, and the Bravo Hughes-owned Calais, bred in Kilkenny by Ita Brennan, are part of chef d’equipe, Michael Blake’s five-strong squad bidding to secure overall team honours having topped the standings at the end of the qualification series.

Daniel Coyle with Legacy, Denis Lynch and Vistogrand, Mark McAuley riding GRS Lady Amaro (ISH) and Cian O’Connor with Fancy De Kergane complete the squad.

Pender and Calais were part of the team that secured a runner-up finish for Ireland at Spruce Meadows last month and they illustrated their ability to perform at the top level once more with a lightning performance in a thrilling jump-off to bag the top prize.

A dozen combinations qualified for the tiebreaker in the 1.60m class, including Sweden’s world number one Henrik von Eckermann and the outstanding King Edward, with Pender having to bide his time as last man to go. The Castledermot athlete had the advantage of knowing exactly what he had to do and capitalised.

No less an opponent than Swedish legend, Rolf-Goran Bengtsson stood in his way, having posted a second clear with Zuccero HV in a time of 51.64 seconds.

If that looked a tough ask, nobody told Pender, and the man who was triumphant on another Bravo Hughes charge, HHS Mercedes (ISH) in the World Breeding Championships seven-year-old final in Lanaken two weeks ago, went for broke.

Calais answered his every call, delivering a blazing fast round that electrified the packed stands of the Real Club de Polo de Barcelona. In the end, it wasn’t even close, as the pair were the only combo to break 51 seconds, stopping the clock on 50.88 to score the €99,000 first prize.

Spain’s Armando Trapote, riding Tornado Vs, finished third after holding the lead for much of the jump-off.

“I’m delighted with the win here in Barcelona,” said an overjoyed Pender to the awaiting media afterwards. “My horse jumped amazing and I’m so proud of him and all the team at HHS (Hughes Horse Stud), both here and at home in Ireland.

“I had my plan before the jump-off but the vertical before the double ended up being a bit the bogey – the joker fence in the class almost – so I decided I would do nine strides to the last fence instead of ten and take a bit more time to the vertical, which would also make the double a bit easier.”

HHS Calais takes care of business while Pender considers the next move

Pender’s Irish teammates and manager were on hand to help their young colleague draw up his plan, though it was down to horse and jockey once they entered the arena.

“The boys helped me make that plan and Calais was just jumping incredible. In the jump-off, he was so with me – everything I asked, he was waiting for me to tell him what to do next.

“Calais jumped great in Spruce Meadows last month – he jumped double clear in the Nations Cup there and Ireland finished second, but he’s been knocking on the door of a Grand Prix all year. He’s been brilliant, I couldn’t ask for any more.”

“I’ve had a great few weeks and it’s all thanks to everybody working hard at home and those that have given me this opportunity. Without them, days like these wouldn’t be possible – it’s just not possible to be at the shows every week and still have the horses in such good form and that’s thanks to them, I can’t thank them enough.”

Earlier yesterday, German-based Clare pilot Eoin McMahon delivered at the Riesenbeck International show in Hörstel, partnering Beerbaum Stables’ eight-year-old Kokomo B to a two-star victory.

There were 45 combinations participating in the 1.45m speed competition and a third of those went clear. The levels of rapidity were varied, however, and getting to be first into the arena on Kokomo’s stablemate Mila might have been helpful to McMahon, who posted the winning time of 62.38 seconds with ten pairings still to come.

Pål Flam (NOR) and Mega Special Dc knew exactly what they had to do, as the third-last challengers and they got very close, but had to settle for runner-up on 62.72.

Richie Moloney was another winner on the day, taking the spoils in a two-star 1.45m speed class at Tryon International in America.

Moloney, who finished runner-up in a 1.40m two-star two-phase contest on Ermes Di Tai on Thursday, climbed one more spot on the podium with Daisycutter. Ironically, time wasn’t the decisive factor but accuracy, as Equinimity’s ten-year-old mare and her Kilkenny rider were the only duo to go clear.

Jessica Burke continues to display electric form and she has registered another strong podium finish, this time in a 1.50m Grand Prix qualifier in Rabat, Morocco with her ultra reliable Nations Cup performer, Express Trend (ISH).

Bred and owned by Liam Nicholas, the horse known at home as Trendy is consistency personified, while Burke is metronomic in compiling her ribbons. The Galwegian finished in second, behind Emanuele Gaudiano (ITA), who was riding Nikolaj de Music. The winners went clear in 55.44 seconds with the Irish challengers their closest rivals, stopping the clock a second slower.

Simon McCarthy has been accumulating serious prize money in international competition in the US a little under the radar for the last few months, and the Cork pilot was at it again last night, concluding the evening’s fare at the Lugano Diamonds Split Rock Jumping Tour event in Lexington last night with a runner-up finish in the three-star FEI Jumping speed class.

Riding Ilan Ferder Stables’ Narcotique v/h Dingenshof, the 29-year-old Norwegian-born McCarthy laid the gauntlet down to his 39 opponents in the Claiborne arena with a tremendous double clear around the 1.45m track. The tiebreak time of 36.31 secured another podium finish, with victory going to Alex Granato (USA) on Helios vd Nosahoeve.

 

BREEDING

HHS CALAIS (ISH) – 2011 gelding by Cavalier Royale (HOLST) out of MHS OBOS Cruise (ISH) by OBOS Quality (OLD). Breeder: Ita Brennan, Co. Kilkenny. Owner: Bravo Hughes Ltd. Rider: Michael Pender (IRL).

 

HHS MERCEDES (ISH) – 2017 gr mare by Can Ya Makan (HOLST) out of Chester Lass (ISH) by Couletto (OLDBG). Breeder and Owner: Bravo Hughes Ltd. Rider: Michael Pender (IRL)

 

GRS LADY AMARO (ISH) – 2013 mare by Amaretto Darco (BWP) out of Legal Lady (TB) by Over The River (TB). Breeder: Denis Hickey, Co. Wexford. Owner: S.n.c McAuley. Rider: Mark McAuley (IRL).

 

EXPRESS TREND (ISH) – 2010 gelding by Future Trend (OLD) out of Condios Express (ISH) by Condios (HOLST). Breeder and owner: Liam Nicholas. Rider: Jessica Burke (IRL).

ney also among international winners