Piggy, who won the inaugural young horse CIC*** here in 2009, is now on course to score a unique double and become the first rider since William Fox-Pitt in 2000 to score a one-two here. 

She has a fence in hand over record four-time Blenheim winner Pippa Funnell on the mare Billy Shannon, with American first-timer Tiana Coudray fourth on Ringwood Magister.

Bettina Hoy, the dressage leader, is now fifth having incurred 7.6 time faults on Lanfranco TSF.

Judy Bradwell’s Lemington Lett Dance has missed quite a bit of work over the last year and, according to his rider, was in fighting form. “I’ve never jumped the first five fences so fast in my life – he is a very feisty horse.”

DHI Topper, owned by Piggy’s father Wally and Michael Underwood, is the horse that so impressed when winning the Olympic Test Event at Greenwich in July.

 “I’m really proud of him – it was a beautiful round, as good as he’s ever done,” said Piggy.

Course-designer Eric Winter is absent at the Junior European Championships in Portugal, but he will no doubt be delighted to hear that his track has ridden beautifully, producing 65 clear rounds from the 93 starters. There were 79 completions from 93 starters in the cross country.

British Eventing’s Chief Executive Mike Etherington-Smith, who is acting course-designer in Eric’s absence, commented: “There will be a lot of happy horses who have had confidence-giving rounds. The ground was perfect – David Evans’s course-building team have done a brilliant job.”

There was a surprise elimination for Andrew Nicholson, lying sixth after dressage on Quimbo, when he took the wrong route at an alternative, and William Fox-Pitt, equal 10^th on Bay My Hero, incurred 20 penalties at a coffin fence, the Shires Equestrian Wooded Hollow at 9.

Sarah Cohen, fourth after dressage, incurred 20 penalties when Irish Jester took a dislike to David Evans’s carved Wooden Tops at fence 12.

There were two casualties. Tom Crisp sustained a broken leg in a fall from Master At Arms at the fourth fence and Lucy Wiegersma has a suspected fractured ankle after a fall from Jumbo’s Girl at fence 7.

In the concurrent CIC***8/9 year old British Championship, William Fox-Pitt maintains his dressage lead going into cross-country on Oslo.

“I certainly am delighted with today. Oslo is a superb horse and a lovely showjumper. Tomorrow is a big course and there is plenty to jump so it should be right to the wire,” commented William.

TEAM COMPETITION

It's not looking good for Australia who are now sitting third in the Teams Competition.  New Zealand (who have already qualified for the Olympics) are first and Japan are currently second.  Lucinda Fredericks was unfortunately eliminated in the Cross Country.

Best of luck to the Aussies for showjumping!

1st		New Zealand	171.8
11	ORIENT EXPRESS VI	Clarke Johnstone	51.9	8th
8	CLIFTON RAZZ	Jonathan Paget	58.7	17th
2	WILLY DO	Lucy Jackson	61.2	24th
14	QWANZA	Andrew Nicholson	62.5	26th
5	ELTON II	Neil Spratt	65.0	34th
2nd		Japan	223.9
12	CHIPPIEH	Kenki Sato	60.2	21st
6	JACKABEE	Takeaki Tsuchiya	63.9	30th
9	MAVRICK DU GRANIT	Atsushi Negishi	99.8	72nd
3	HOOLIGAN	Takayuki Yumira	155.7	79th
1	GORGEOUS GEORGE	Yoshiaki Oiwa	1000.0	80th
3rd		Australia	227.9
7	URZAN	Catherine Burrell	71.1	43rd
4	EVER SO CLEVER III	Brook Staples	72.1	45th
13	ONE TWO MANY NJ	Bill Levett	84.7	59th
10	NYSA DE PETRA	Lucinda Fredericks	1000.0	81st