MIKEY Pender partnered Marion Hughes’ 11-year-old Irish-bred mare HHS Catwalk to a superb win in the 1.50m Beverage Brands-sponsored €25,000 Showjumping Ireland Premier Series Grand Prix at National Balmoral.

One of Ireland’s most talented riders, Pender continues to go from strength to strength aboard the Marion Hughes and Miguel Bravo-owned HHS string.

Bred by Thomas Hughes, HHS Catwalk is by Cit Cat (Cartani) out of HHS Clo Jo (Clover Echo). The pair’s most recent results include a win in a five-star 1.50m in Sopot, Poland, as well as a top-10 finish in the 1.45m Ranking class at the five-star Global Champions Tour show in Miami.

“It was a brilliant day. Catwalk was terrific,” Pender commented afterwards. “She likes to have her own way a little, she’s a typical chesnut mare. She was very good in the turns and I think between fences one, two and three, she has a very big stride and I definitely used it there, it was a long gallop.

“My other horse - Chacco Bay - I only have back about two months, he was with his owner Al Shira’aa, and I think he could be very good in a few months time. Chacco was leading before Kevin [Gallagher] was faster than me and I know Catwalk a little better so I could go a bit faster.

“It was a very good course, there were 16 clears, maybe a bit more than everybody wanted but the horses jumped so good on the ground here.”

Pender has a busy few weeks ahead, adding: “The plan now is to head to Chantilly (France) next week and then come back for Marion’s home show at HHS at the end of July where they have two Grands Prix, a 1.45m on the first day and a 1.40m on the second day.

“After that we’ll be getting ready for Dublin. I qualified my own five-year-old stallion Madgeslane Luidam (Luidam x OBOS Quality) and a seven and eight-year-old full brother and sister, HHS Cyprus and HHS Cornetta (Cornet Obolensky x Acorado). The seven-year-old jumped clear yesterday in the Premier with just a time fault. I was delighted with him, I wanted to jump one bigger class before the seven and eights in Dublin and he really stepped up.

“We will also have three for the internationals at Dublin and Hearton Du Bois Halleux (his former Hickstead Derby winning mount) for the Puissance.”

Big field

A starting field of 61 combinations was reduced to 16 for the jump-off against the clock. Three collected just a single time fault, with a further 10 having one fence down in round one of John Doyle’s 1.50m track.

As 10th to go in the decider, Pender had the advantage of having already ridden the jump-off track aboard his other mount, Al Shira’aa Stables-owned German-bred stallion Chacco Bay (Chaccato x Heops). The duo were silver medallists at the young horse World Championships in Lanaken in 2019. He had produced a clear in 47.20 to finish third.

Thurles-based Kevin Gallagher took over the lead with DHF Lift Off for Greg Broderick’s GBBS Int Ltd in 46.42 seconds, which was eventually good enough for second. By Harlequin Du Carel out of Missy K (Mr Clover), the nine-year-old mare was bred by Stephen Keane and was produced up to 1.40m by Jessica Stallard. The duo currently lead the Premier Series league having won the first round in Barnadown in May.

Pender pulled back the win with Catwalk when clear in 45.04 seconds. Jonathan Smyth and Noletta Smyth and Roy Craig’s Mulvin Lui (Luidam x Baron De Chantepie) slotted into fourth place, while young rider Max Wachman and Coolmore Showjumping’s French-bred gelding Donegal were fifth.

Niamh McEvoy partnered GBBS Int Ltd’s Dutch-bred Jargon DN into sixth, while Tom Wachman and his two mounts, the Dutch-bred Rock of Cashel and Belgian-bred Berlux Z, were seventh and eighth.

The next and third round of the Premier Series takes place on July 19th in Tattersalls.