MIKEY Pender and the talented Bravo/Hughes-bred seven-year-old gelding HHS Arezzo won the 1.40m TRM/Showjumpers Club Spring Grand Prix in Mullingar last Sunday.

By Luidam out of HHS Chantilly Lace, by Cavalier Royal, he has been produced carefully by the Bravo/Hughes crew, placing consistently in five and six-year-old classes nationally.

The youngster graduated to being partnered by Pender just this year and did not disappoint. When asked to accelerate against the clock in the timed decider, his reply was a round which was over two and a half seconds faster than his closest rival to secure his first 1.40m Grand Prix win.

Following the class, Pender spoke to The Irish Field. “This was his first 1.40m. We’ve been playing around with him, getting him fit and getting him going for the start of the year.

“It was a big enough step up for him. I had him at Barnadown the week before and he was good, but he really took it on very well yesterday, I’m very happy with him.

“He’s naturally very fast. He’s a full-brother to HHS Seattle, Spencer Smith’s horse that was placed in the Grand Prix in Shanghai last year.

“He’s by Luidam and I think, in general, they are always quite smart horses and they always want to please. So that’s very good.

“I think there was a bit of a loop in the middle of the track, before turning back to two jumps and I turned quite tight back to both of them and I think that’s where I made up the time.

“He jumped the first round quite easy, so I was happy with that. He will probably compete here for most of the summer.

“Max (Foley) was busy with the Young Riders’ Academy, so I stepped in and now I’m going to be away in Fontainebleau for a couple of weeks or so Max will probably ride him in the qualifiers for the seven and eight-year-olds in Dublin.”

Battle

A start list of 60 combinations lined up to battle it out over the Tommy Gibbons-designed track and 23 managed to produce a clear first round to progress to the jump-off.

An even dozen left all the fences intact in the second round, Pender’s round proving fastest in 36.75 to claim the top spot.

Cavan’s Camryn Clarke was pathfinder aboard another seven-year-old by Luidam, his own gelding Ballyv Blake (Luidam x Ard VDL Douglas), bred by Sean Stafford. The pair set the pace clear in a time of 46.70.

Sean Foley (For Kinmar Hero Z) and Niamh McEvoy (Sevilla Van De Berghoeve Z) had a fence down apiece as second and third to go.

Jason Foley guided Chedington Equestrian’s nine-year-old mare Casia Z (Cascadello x Cassina) to the second double clear, theirs coming in 41.50 for eventual fifth place.

Winner of the Spring Tour in Cavan in March, Stephen Gibbons and Cassius Z had one fence down, while the next two in, Harry Marshall (Tango ET) and Robyn Moran (Cushlas Fryday), produced fault-free rounds, Moran’s in 41.73 for sixth place.

Double clear

Young rider Alena Hughes and her own Dutch-bred gelding Hercules provided the next double clear as 10th to go.

Sophie Richards riding Maurice Cousins’ eight-year-old Monbeg Balou (Balou du Rouet x Zacharov TN), bred by Brendan Doyle, also answered all the questions correctly in 41.23 for fourth place.

2/ Lt Ruari Clarke and the Minister For Defence’s Bonmahon Beach (Emerald Van’t Ruytershof x Temple Clover), bred by Richard Fitzgerald, were fault-free but slightly off the pace in 42.26.

Pender was next. A superb clear in a very quick 36.75 saw them go straight into first place.

Seamus Hughes Kennedy with Castlefield Hera came closest to catching Pender when they left all the poles in place and broke the finish beams in 39.13 for the runner-up spot.

The final three combinations to go, Harry Wood (Casino’s Boom), Alex Finney (Newberry Cleverleaf) and Holly Lenahan (Khanlinov) all had double clear rounds to claim eighth, ninth and 11th places.

The next and final round of the TRM/Showjumpers Club Spring Grand Prix takes place tomorrow (April 20th) at CoilÓg Equestrian.