MIKEY Pender and Marion Hughes’ HHS Burnchurch won the feature class, the 1.45m two-star Grand Prix of the 2019 Mullingar International Show last bank holiday Monday.

HHS Burnchurch, a nine-year-old gelding by Heritage Fortunas out of a Cavalier Royale mare named China Cavalier, was bred by Hughes.

Pender and HHS Burnchurch notched up a number of 1.40m placings in Ireland as well as in Vilamoura, Portugal last year, in addition to this they also won the Seville CSI** Grand Prix. So far this year, they have produced good results at shows in Opglabbeek and Mannheim.

A start list of 53 lined out for the competition which boasted a prize fund of €25,000. Tom Holden’s challenging track soon reduced this number to 16 going forward to the jump-off against the clock.

Pathfinder

Vincent Byrne was pathfinder aboard Michael Hayden and Paul O’Shea’s eight-year-old Dutch-bred gelding Gantuarno. Faults collected at the the first and second last fences saw the pair finish on eight faults in a time of 50.65 and out of the placings.

Eddie Moloney was next with Caroline Teltsch’s nine-year-old gelding Andiamix Hero Z. They provided the first double clear round in 46.51 which would later prove good enough to earn them the runner-up spot in the final line up and €5,000 in prize money.

Third to go was Tholm Keane riding the 10-year-old Luidam stallion BMH Big Time. They produced a second clear in a time of 47.64 which would see them into eventual fifth place.

Veteran Grand Prix rider Francis Connors was next in aboard Erne Lady Goldilocks. They left all the fences intact in a time of 47.72 to take sixth place.

Captain Geoff Curran and the Minister for Defence’s OBOS Quality gelding HHS Clinstown collected four faults at the second fence which put them out of the running in 51.70.

Paul Beecher riding the Belgian-bred mare Eis Ikona then posted a clear round in quite a slow 53.37 which would slot them into 10th place.

Briton Stacey Babes and the Luidam x Darco gelding Castlefield had two fences down and collected a further four faults for time to finish on a total of 12.

Young rider Seamus Hughes Kennedy, aboard the German-bred Louidor, left all the fences up in 51.60 as eighth to go which slotted him into ninth place.

The next clear round came from Cian Harrisson and the Irish gelding Tabby, they stopped the clock in 50.74 for eighth place.

Robert Harrisson and the Danish-bred Landlystes Rubina produced an impressive clear in 47.41 to claim fourth place.

Daring turn

Pender was 11th to go with HHS Burnchurch. The pair set a good pace from the off with an onward eight strides from fence one to two, a forward six to fence four saved them time and a brilliant left-handed turn with nine strides to the final fence saw them snatch the lead in 44.11 over two seconds faster than the leader to secure the victory.

Ger O’Neill riding Keatingstown Z Wellie Two had a single fence down for four faults in 45.19.

Next in were Jonathan Smyth and Mulvin Lui, recent winners of the 1.50m New Heights Grand Prix at Ballinasloe, this pair have been producing good results of late. On this occasion they left all the fences up but were a little off the mark in 48.22 for seventh place.

American Kerry McCahill riding the Swedish-bred Westbrook had just one fence down in 45.67 to finish 14th.

Kate Derwin posted a very exciting round as the penultimate rider in with AHG Whiterock Cruisedown.

They were on target to catch Pender as they approached the final fence, but a pole down here put paid to their challenge, they stopped the clock at 43.10, the fastest time of the day, but had to settle for 11th place as the fastest four-faulter.

Kenneth Graham was last to go with the Touchdown gelding George. They gave it a great try crossing the finish with nothing to add in 46.67 to take third place.