YOUNGSTERS Mikey Pender and Jack Ryan continued to show their talent at the four-star Al Shira’aa World Cup show in Abu Dhabi last weekend, both recording impressive victories and placings.

Pender crowned a fantastic month in the UAE when winning the second running of Al Shira’aa Derby. The class is based on the famous Hickstead Derby and, while held in a sand arena, has the Hickstead planks as an obstacle.

Some 33 combinations started over the 1.40m Derby track and just four managed to complete with a clean sheet. Pender guided Marion Hughes’ home-bred Irish Sport Horse mare HHS Fortune (Catoki x Douglas) to a sensational round to break the beam in 75.80 seconds and in the process win the first car of his career (worth €23,500).

After making history when becoming the youngest ever Hickstead Derby winning aged 19 in July, he created more history on Friday when becoming the first rider to win both derbies.

“It feels amazing. It’s an amazing thing to win my first car here in Al Shira’aa,” Pender said afterwards. He heaped praise on the nine-year-old HHS Fortune, saying: “My horse was amazing tonight. It was difficult to jump the double coming home but she just gave everything and fought so hard. She was trying to win as much as I was and that makes my job easy. She is just a machine.

“It’s a great start to the year. It’s my last week here in the UAE. My horses are jumping amazing, I have a lot of good horses so hopefully we will have a good year,” he concluded.

On Saturday, Pender put another impressive result on the score board, claiming third place in the feature 1.60m Longines FEI World Cup Grand Prix with the Miguel Bravo and Marion Hughes-owned HHS Calais (Cavalier Royale x OBOS Quality 004).

Pender was one of 12 riders to secure a place in the jump-off and took the lead early when he put in another foot-perfect performance in a time of 39.88 seconds. In the end it was Germany’s Christian Ahlmann who led the victory lap with Solid Gold Z, stopping the clock in 39.16, while Egypt’s Abdel Said finished as runner-up with Arpege du Ru after clocking 39.49.

Pender also claimed two places in Wednesday’s TheraPlate 1.45m class. He delivered his better result with Casanova Van Overis Z, when crossing the line clear in 57.09 for third place. He also occupied fourth place with HHS Fortune, when he kept all the poles in place in 58.47.

Major win for Jack Ryan

EIGHTEEN-year-old Jack Ryan has enjoyed a phenomenal time in the UAE where he is riding for Shane Breen’s Breen Equestrian team and for Team Z7. His biggest victory to date came in Friday’s SERC U25 Grand Prix where he scooped just over €6,000.

Riding the Kennedy Bros Sport Horses-owned Irish Sport Horse KBS Major Player, Ryan was one of just two riders to secure a place in the jump-off. First to go with Caravelli, UAE’s Mohamed Omran Ahmed Ali Al Owais (UAE) set the target of clear in 32.44.

Not having seen Al Owais’ round, Ryan finished almost a second faster when breaking the beam in 31.60 seconds. Bred by Peter Rice, the eight-year-old KBS Major Player is by OBOS Quality out of the High Roller-sired Tattygar Lasts Rolo.

Speaking afterwards, Ryan said: He’s a relatively inexperienced horse, especially to this height. I don’t know if he even jumped a 1.40m before so to go straight into a 1.45m was a big step up for him, but he coped with it very well.”

On the jump-off, he said: “I missed the first guy but Michael Quirke was watching and he told me to keep it tight and use his canter. I got an inside turn that the first guy didn’t get and I got a really good jump over the third jump. I saw one to the last and it paid off.”

On Thursday, in the 1.45m jump-off class, Ryan partnered Annemarie Fagan’s Essenar High Hopes to a clear in 37.35 for a second-place finish. The pair were fractions shower than American winner Annabel Joost and Primus Vom Neumuehler Hof, who clocked 37.29.

He also took the runner-up place in Thursday’s 1.25m aboard the Breen Equestrian owned Elmira Mail, when he lodged a clear in 73.11 seconds.

Shane Breen finished fifth in the seven-year-old Hickstead Welcome Stakes with Z7 Regal Don.