Irish-bred horses shine as Mikey Pender claims World Cup runner-up finish in Madrid
Kildare’s Mikey Pender and the Marion Hughes-bred mare HHS Los Angeles (ISH) scored a brilliant runner-up finish in Sunday’s five-star Longines FEI Jumping World Cup Grand Prix at Madrid in Spain.
Last to go in a 13-horse jump-off. Pender completed a double clear performance, finishing just over half-a-second behind Italian winner Piergiorgio Bucci with Hantano, while Maikel van der Vleuten and Beauville Z N.O.P finished third. Two Irish-bred horses finished in the top four, with DPS Revere (ISH), bred by Dara O’Malley and ridden by Marcus Ehning (GER) finishing fourth.
Meath’s Cian O’Connor kept all the poles standing in the first round with Bentley de Sury, however one time fault kept them out of the jump-off for a 15th place finish.
Pender was thrilled with his second place finish and explained how HHS Los Angeles (ISH) has been in brilliant form in recent months.
“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.”
The result crowned an excellent weekend in Madrid for Pender after he guided the Marion Hughes-bred HHS Vancouver (ISH) to victory in Saturday’s 1m45 speed class, while the pair finished third in another 1m45 speed class at the same venue on Friday.
After 6 legs of the Western European League, Kevin Staut (FRA) remains at the top of the standings with 49 points. Richard Vogel (GER) sits in 2nd place on 42, Gregory Wathelet (BEL) and Steve Guerdat (SUI) have 36 points apiece holding 3rd and 4th spots whilst Robert Whitaker (GBR) and Marcus Ehning (GER) round out the top 6 with 28 points each. Piergiorgio Bucci (ITA) jumps straight into the top 20 sharing equal 16th position with Verona victor Sophie Hinners (GER).
The Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Western European League moves on to A Coruña next week for the 7th leg of the 2024/2025 season being held on 7th- 10th December 2024.
BREEDING
HHS Los Angeles (ISH) – 2014 mare by Le Roi (ZDP) out of China Cavalier (ISH) by Cavalier Royale (HOLST). Breeder: Marion Hughes. Owner: Bravo Hughes Ltd. Rider: Michael Pender (IRL).
DPS Revere (ISH) – 2013 gelding by Hermes De Reve (SF) out of Celerina (AEAS) by Cento (HOLST). Breeder: Dara O’Malley, Co. Galway. Owner: Carl Hanley Sporthorses GmbH. Rider: Marcus Ehning (GER)
HHS Vancouver (ISH): 2013 gelding by Indoctro (KWPN) out of La Juanita by Don Juan de La Bouverie (SBS). Bred and owned by Marion Hughes. Ridden by Mikey Pender.