BARCELONA.SPAIN--Ireland's Mikey Pender scored one of the biggest wins of his career, as he was victorious in the €300,000 five-star Grand Prix riding HHS Calais on Friday, Oct. 4 at the League of Nations Final in Barcelona.
Michael Pender on HHS CalaisBut the Grand Prix, despite its prestige and prize money, was basically a footnote to the League of Nations Final on Sunday.
Not all the riders in the Final, including three of the U.S. riders, competed in the Grand Prix, and some of those that did chose not to go for the win.
"We're here for the Final on Sunday," said chef d'equipe Robert Ridland.
For the U.S., only Aaron Vale on Carissimo 25 and reserve rider Laura Kraut on Bisquetta competed in the Grand Prix, and they both had four faults, with Kraut finishing 17th and Vale finishing 23rd.
The U.S. team includes Spencer Smith on Keeneland, Alex Matz on Ikigal, Lucy Davis Kennedy on Ben and Vale on Carissimo, with Kraut as the reserve rider.
And there are lots of interesting story lines between Alex and Michael Matz and Ridland.
Smith, Kennedy and Vale were on the Nations Cup winning team at Dublin.
"WE'RE HERE for the Final on Sunday," said Ridland. "Our riders prepared their horses for Sunday in the way each thought best."
The Final is Sunday, Oct. 6 at 8 a.m. Eastern, and it will be live streamed FREE on ClipMyHorse.
Go toClipMyHorse, click on Live events, upper left corner and scroll down until you see League of Nations.
"Spencer, Lucy and Alex chose to go in the training classes on Thursday," said Ridland. "Alex rode his second horse, Cashew, in the Saturday evening class. Aaron wanted to go in the Grand Prix as he felt his horse needed another big class. This is all a preparation for Sunday."
Matz was clean on Cashew in the first round Saturday evening but finished 12th in the two round class.
"On Sunday, the teams will go in reverse order of qualification, so we go third," said Ridland. "Spencer elected to go first, as he did in Dublin. Alex will go second, Lucy third and Aaron fourth."
For the second round on Sunday, only three riders for each team competes.
Ridland said the team has had a wonderful time so far in Barcelona, with very enjoyable team dinners.
DD and Michael Matz are in Barcelona to cheer on their son Alex.
Not only is Alex competing in his first five star Nations Cup, but he is also competing in the same ring in which his father Michael competed during the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona.
And Ridland and Michael during their riding careers competed on a number of teams together, including the 1976 Montreal Olympics, where the team finished fourth.
Ridland competed on Bert deNemethy's teams from 1970 to 1978, and Michael Matz was on teams with him from 1974 to 1978.
So a pair of former teammates have reunited to stand behind Alex, a newcomer to five star Nations Cup competition.
"We know the Europeans will be tough, riding on home turf," said Ridland. "But we have a good team, three of whom were on the winning Dublin team."
Despite the fact that the Grand Prix was basically a warm-up for a few for the Final, It was still a stunning performance from Pender, the 25-year-old Kildare rider on the Irish-bred HHS Calais (ISH), as he won against a world-class field that included that all three individual Olympic medalists from this year's Paris Games.
It was a two round class in which the top 12, 11 clean and the one fastest of the four faulters, from the start list of 43 horses and riders went forward into 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 on 51.76 after holding the lead in the early part of the jump-off.
While world number one Henrik von Eckermann on King Edward made the second round, he clearly wasn't trying to win with a fast round, and he finished fourth on 51.83.
"I'm delighted with the win here in Barcelona," said Pender. "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."
