William Fox-Pitt and Chilli Morning produced a superb test to go into the lead in the eventing dressage at Rio.
Fox-Pitt looked delighted as he gave his final halt and salute – and soon the judges confirmed his delight by scoring the pair 37.0pen, just 0.6pen ahead of Australia’s Christopher Burton in second.
Gemma Tattersall now holds 11th place, with the Brits in a very good position as the first day moves towards its conclusion. However, France, Australia and Ireland all have both team riders in the top 10 – and Germany will no doubt be about to join them.
That’s because the eventing phenomenon that is Michael Jung is due into the arena in the final session of the day, riding the multiple gold medal-winning Sam FBW. The biggest shock of the day would be if Jung doesn’t take up his customary place at the top of the leaderboard with immediate effect.
There are several more riders still to come before the end of the first day, including Mark Todd (meaning New Zealand would also have both tram riders in the top 10) and Clark Montgomery, both of whom could also factor in the top 10.
It’s certainly turning into a close competition. Stay with us for updates.
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