 | Badminton Horse trials
LIVE on BBCi and this website, Sat 7 May |
William Fox-Pitt got the defence of his Badminton crown off to the perfect start when he ended the opening day of dressage on top of the leaderboard. The 36-year-old incurred just 48.7 penalties for his test on Ballincoola - his second string to 2004's winner Tamarillo who gets underway on Friday.
Milla Healey and Kitty Boggis also enjoyed fine starts to their Badminton debuts to move into second and third.
Britain's Olympic champion Leslie Law is 10th after his test on Shear H20.
Law picked up 55.4 penalties for his dressage performance on Thursday, but will hope to be more accurate on Shear L'Eau, his Athens individual gold medallist, on Friday.
Fox-Pitt, part of Britain's silver-medal winning team in Athens, said he was delighted with Ballincoola's performance.
|  He is a bit of a show off and has a tendency to erupt at times but he managed to keep the lid on it |
"I sent him to learn for the last three winters with Lizzie Murray (daughter of veteran dressage Olympian Jennie Loriston-Clarke)," Fox-Pitt explained.
"Dressage used to be a dread for him but now he has relaxed and is going better and better."
Meanwhile, Leicestershire-based Healey - who has brought her Irish Thoroughbred Zarzoo up through the grades from a four-year-old - admitted nerves almost got the better of her before she went on outshine many more experienced riders.
"Nerves were a massive issue," said the 35-year-old, who accrued just 49.3 penalties, "but my trainer Ian Woodhead helped keep me calm."
Former European Young Rider gold medallist Boggis, from Oxford, was also relieved after her former racehorse Five Boys' produced a submissive test for just 52.0 penalties.
"He is a bit of a show off and has a tendency to erupt at times but he managed to keep the lid on it," she said.
Experienced internationals Andrew Hoy and Andrew Nicholson also produced the strong dressage performances that have come to be expected of them.
Australian Hoy lies in joint sixth on Mr Pracatan while New Zealander Nicholson is two places back in eighth on Fenicio.
Pippa Funnell, Britain's 2003 Grand Slam winner, opens her Badminton account on Friday with Primmore's Pride.
Badminton first day Dressage results (Thu):
1 W Fox-Pitt, Ballincoola (GB) 48.7 penalties
2 M Healey, Zarzoo (GB) 49.3
3 K Boggis, Five Boys (GB) 52.0
= 4 C Fredericks, WP In Limbo (Aus) 54.3
= 4 M Gallerdal, Keymaster (Swe) 54.3
= 6 A Hoy, Mr Pracatan (Aus) 54.5
= 6 H White, Northern Spy (US) 54.5
MMIX
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