KILDARE’S Mikey Pender was on top form at the five-star World Cup show in Madrid, Spain at the weekend, with a number of podium finishes, including a fantastic runner-up position in Sunday’s 1.60m Longines FEI Jumping World Cup class riding HHS Los Angeles, a 10-year-old Irish Sport Horse mare bred by Marion Hughes of Hughes Horse Stud.

There were 40 on the start list for the class, which is the sixth leg of the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup series, 13 of whom jumped clear within the allocated time over the first-round track set by Javier Trenor Paz to get through to the jump-off. Paz’s course was strong, but fair and, among the 13 fences on the track, he included four maximum height obstacles. He has great experience building at IFEMA Madrid and, being aware that horses are sometimes daunted by the venue, his track was less technical than other legs.

The clear round roster read like a who’s who of international show jumping, including three in the top 11 of the Longines World Rankings List. Julian Epaillard (FRA) on Donatello d’Auge; Steve Guerdat (SUI) on Lancelotta; Robert Whitaker (GBR) on Vermento; Martin Fuchs (SUI) on Connor Jei; Mariano Martinez Bastida (ESP) on Belano vd Wijnhoeve Z; Marcus Ehning (GER) on DPS Revere; Gregory Wathelet (BEL) on Bond Jamesbond de Hay; Wilma Hellström (SWE) on Cicci Bjn; Max Kuhner (AUT) on EIC Julius Caesar; Maikel van der Vleuten (NED) on Beauville Z N.O.P.; Piergiorgio Bucci on Hantano; Kim Emmen (NED) on Imagine and Michael Pender (IRL) on HHS Los Angeles all returned for the jump-off.

With such a high-class field, the pressure was on and just five of the combinations kept all the poles in the cups in round two, with time being of the essence.

Dutch rider van der Vleuten was on a mission and managed to take a stride out between fences eight and nine, a move which meant they stopped the clock in 41.48 seconds to take the lead at that point.

Bucci and the 12-year-old gelding Hantano were next into the arena. This was only the horse’s second ever World Cup Qualifier, but the pair flew round the course in a time of 40.77, shaving 0.71 off van der Vleuten’s time to become the new leader.

Pender was last to go in the jump-off and is well-used to the pressure at this level. He and HHS Los Angeles rode a fast and accurate clear round, with some amazing turns from his mount, but an exuberant jump at the second last led to an extra stride to make the turn to the last and they finished in 41.42 seconds. That wasn’t quite fast enough to outpace Bucci and Hantano, who won the prestigious class and the €57,750 top prize. Pender had to settle for second place and the €35,000 runner-up pot. The third spot on the podium and €26,250 went to Maikel van der Vleuten on Beauville Z NOP.

Fourth place went to another Irish-bred horse, DPS Revere, an 11-year-old gelding, bred in Co Galway by Dara O’Malley (see Breeders’ 10 on page 85), ridden by Germany’s Marcus Ehning (42.54). The fifth and final double clear was ridden by Max Kuhner (AUT) on EIC Julius Caesar.

Next best of the Irish was Meath’s Cian O’Connor, who jumped clear in the first round with Bentley de Sury, but a time fault prevented them from proceeding to the jump-off and they finished in 15th place.

Bucci said after his win: “It’s an amazing feeling, I really like this show, I’ve often been placed here, but never close to winning so I’m really happy!”

He said of Hantano: “My horse is amazing, fast and a winner! He has a funny style, but he’s really good and I hope we will have more wins!”

Michael Pender and HHS Los Angeles on their way to second place at the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup in Madrid (ESP) \ FEI/Thomas Reiner

Stepped up

Pender was delighted with his runner-up placing and with HHS Los Angeles’ (Le Roi (ZDP) x China Cavalier (ISH) x Cavalier Royale (HOLST)) performance: “I’m absolutely delighted. My horse has really stepped up in the last few months. She is quite inexperienced, but is really taking everything on board now and she showed how good she is today.

“She was in Barcelona [at the League of Nations Final] and we went to the sunshine tour, where she won a Grand Prix and was on a winning Nations Cup team, so that was brilliant experience for those three weeks. She had a little break then before we came here and I couldn’t have asked for her to jump any better, I am just over the moon.”

After this sixth leg of the Western European League, Kevin Staut (FRA) is still at the top of the leaderboard on 49 points. Richard Vogel (GER) is currently second on 42; Gregory Wathelet (BEL) and Steve Guerdat (SUI) each have 36 points so hold third and fourth places, whilst Robert Whitaker (GBR) and Marcus Ehning (GER) have 28 points each to round out the top six.

Italian Piergiorgio Bucci’s win puts him straight into the top 20, now sharing 16th position with Germany’s Verona victor Sophie Hinners.

The Longines FEI Jumping World Cup Western European League moves on to A Coruña next week for the seventh leg of the 2024/2025 season being held on December 7th-10th, 2024.

World-class

Three days of world-class show jumping commenced in Madrid on Friday, with Pender getting straight off the mark and onto the podium, when placing third in the 1.45m Speed class on board HHS Vancouver. A total of 57 combinations started the class, with 24 of them keeping all the poles intact within the time allowed. Pender stopped the clock in 52.57 seconds, just over two seconds behind the very speedy class winner, Matthew Sampson (GBR) riding Fabrice DN, with Maikel van der Vleuten on Elwikke runners up in 51.74.

Pender won Saturday’s 1.45m Speed class with the 11-year-old Irish Sport Horse stallion, HHS Vancouver, bred by Hughes Horse Stud, when they were fastest of the 26 starters to keep all the fences standing. Pender’s time of 61.95 outclassed his competitors, with his nearest rival, Austria’s Alessandra Reich on Galadermie Pp Z almost a second behind in 62.74. Third place went to French rider, Philippe Rozier on Dirty Sweet (62.90).

Barcelona

Meanwhile at Barcelona’s two-star show, Ireland’s Stephanie O’Daly won Sunday’s 1.35m Special Two-phase class on the 10-year-old mare Eaglesham Bolchet. O’Daly was best of 81 starters in the class and stopped the jump-off clock in 32.02 seconds. Her nearest rival was Spain’s Imma Roquet Autonell on Dalia Del Maset, who jumped clear in a time of 32.67.