ANDREW Nicholson retains his overnight lead at the Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials, at the end of two days of intense dressage action at the Duke of Beaufort’s Estate.

Nicholson, who is based near Marlborough, has never won the CCI4* equestrian event, although British team member William Fox-Pitt also has his eyes on the prize, finishing today’s proceedings with a dressage score of 39.0, 1.2 points behind the New Zealander.

Andrew Nicholson, who has never won a Mitsubishi Motors Badminton title, will go into tomorrow’s cross-country phase in the lead with Deborah Sellar’s Nereo.

“I’m a little bit surprised to still be in the lead, but Nereo felt very smart in there, so I knew that if I was to be overtaken they wouldn’t be very far in front,” said Andrew.

Former winners Oliver Townend and Jock Paget have also both finished with excellent dressage results, in third and fifth place respectively, with Germany’s Ingrid Klimke currently lying in fourth on 39.6.

Of the local riders, Flora Harris, also from Marlborough, is currently highest ranking at 13th, with others including Chipping Sodbury’s Nick Gauntlett and Louisa Lockwood achieving less success under Gloucestershire’s grey skies.

Said Gauntlett, who finished on 58.4 penalties with El Grado: “He’s not a horse I know very well, but he’s a stunning horse for the future – he runs and jumps, but he’s very green. I thought he tried really hard in there. It is lovely to think that he might be a team horse of the future. He’s just got to learn to put up with me!

More than 150,000 are expected to turn up tomorrow to watch the cross-country section of the world famous horse trials, Former winner Jock Paget commented: “I really like the course. I think it’s big – which it should be – but it looks like if you ride the combinations well, horses will be able to read them.”

The Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials continue until Sunday, when the show jumping part of the competition will determine the winner.