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Perfect Pender secures victory at Barcelona Grand Prix

Mikey Pender en route to victory in Barcelona
Mikey Pender en route to victory in Barcelona

Ireland's Mikey Pender scored one of the biggest wins of his career, as he took a magnificent victory in the €300,000 five-star Longines Grand Prix at the League Of Nations final in Barcelona.

It was a stunning performance from the 25-year-old Kildare rider and his Irish-bred partner HHS Calais (ISH), as they triumphed against a world-class field that included that all three individual Olympic medallists from this year's Paris Games.

The start list of 43 horses and riders was reduced to 12 combinations for the second round jump-off, with Pender last to go against the clock after he had posted the fastest first round clear.

Sweden's Rolf-Göran Bengtsson with Zuccero Hv had set what looked like an unbeatable time of 51.64 seconds, however, Pender and the long-striding HHS Calais, who was bred in Kilkenny by the late Ita Brennan, incredibly shaved almost a second off the target to take victory in 50.88.

That left Bengtsson as runner-up while Spain’s Armando Trapote, riding Tornado Vs, finished third after holding the lead in the early part of the jump-off.

"I'm delighted with the win here in Barcelona," said an overjoyed Pender to the awaiting media afterwards. "My horse jumped amazing and I’m so proud of him and all the team at HHS (Hughes Horse Stud), both here and at home in Ireland.

"I had my plan before the jump-off but the vertical before the double ended up being a bit the bogey – the joker fence in the class almost – so I decided I would do nine strides to the last fence instead of ten and take a bit more time to the vertical, which would also make the double a bit easier."

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