KILDARE’S Mikey Pender won a three-star 1.50m in Vilamoura, Portugal, last Friday aboard the Irish Sport Horse mare HHS Fast Forward.

Some 15 of the starting 49 combinations made it through to the jump-off, where Pender and Marion Hughes’ home-bred mare by Heritage Fortunus, out of China Cavalier (Cavalier Royale), was the fastest of six clears in a brilliant time of 35.59 seconds. He had almost two seconds to spare over France’s Robin Lesqueren and Dorado de Riverland (0/0 37.28). Pender picked up just over €6,000 in victory.