KILDARE’s Mikey Pender scored a trio of three-star win in Vilamoura, Portugal last weekend, and they all came aboard Irish Sport Horses.

His first victory came in Thursday’s 1.45m Table A against the clock when he guided the Thomas Hughes-bred HHS Catwalk (Cit Cat x Clover Echo) to the fastest of 13 clear rounds in 60.35 seconds to earn €6,375.

In second place was another Irish horse to come from same family in Kilkenny; the Ita Brennan-bred MHS High Hopes was guided to the runner-up finish by Britain’s Laura Renwick in 60.57 seconds. By Quidam Junior II out of Gowran Lady (Cavalier Royale), MHS High Hopes, who had plenty of success up to 1.50m level in Ireland with Ger O’Neill, is a full-brother to the Rio Olympic Games horse MHS Going Global (Greg Broderick).

Pender then won Saturday’s 1.35m jump-off class with the 12-year-old mare HHS Fortune (Catoki x Ard VDL Douglas), bred by Marion Hughes. They were double clear in 38.39 seconds to pick up €1,500, ahead of Luxembourg’s Victor Bettendorf in second. Another Thomas Brennan-bred, MHS I’m The One (Lancelot x Cavalier Royale), was fifth under Laura Renwick. Meath-based Aidan Killeen slotted into eighth place with Helianthus H.

Pender’s final victory also came on Saturday, in the 1.40m jump-off, when he rode the Judy Murphy-bred HHS Javas Gucci (Luidam x Cruising) to victory in 33.75 seconds.

The pair was over a second faster than Belgian runner-up Thierry Goffinet (0/0 34.82).

Hughes-Bravo wins

Also winning at three-star level at the venue was Marta Hughes-Bravo, daughter of Marion Hughes and Miguel Bravo. The 15-year-old won Friday’s three-star 1.20m Table A aboard Miss Belgium when the fastest of 32 clear rounds. Ireland’s Gerard Campbell finished seventh with Coldplay I.

Hughes-Bravo and Miss Belgium then won Sunday’s 1.30m, as well as finishing eighth with her mother’s home-bred 15-year-old ISH gelding HHS Figaro (Guidam x Cavalier Royale).