Nicholson in Contention after Day One Dressage
Friday, 2 September 2011
<br><div><strong>Andrew Nicholson and his lovely big grey horse Avebury are the best of the New Zealand riders after the first day of dressage at the Burghley International Horse Trials in the UK last night.</strong><br><div>Leading the field is William Fox-Pitt (GBR), aboard New Zealand thoroughbred Parklane Hawk, on 39.7 with Nicholson on 42.8.<br><div>Fox-Pitt's Parklane Hawk was produced by Matthew Grayling and has only been with the top British rider for 18 months.<br><div>Jonathan Paget and Clifton Promise are in 13th spot on 50.8 with Mark Todd and Major Milestone in 19th= on 56.5, Caroline Powell and Mrs Tilly in 29th on 61, Jonelle Richards on Flintstar in 35th on 64.5 and Craig Nicolai on Just Ironic in 37th on 67.5.<br><div>The dressage continues this evening (Friday) with seven more Kiwi combinations set to go. All eyes will be on defending champion Caroline Powell and the ever-green Lenamore.<br><div>Powell is the first to say that while the horse is 18 years old, he behaves like a five-year-old.<br><div>Nicholson and his World Champs bronze medal-winning horse Nereo are also competing this evening, as are Blyth Tait on Santos II, who is back from a seven-year retirement with the Olympics in his sights.<br><div>There's been plenty of talk about the cross country, which Nicholson has described as being “quite intense” through the first half with some difficult lines, with big, plain fences to follow.<br><div>“I think the key will be working out where to save energy,” he said. “It's a good change of style and I hope we'll all enjoy it.”<br><div>Burghley is the second-last leg of the HSBC FEI Classics, in which Todd is sitting in third spot on 15 points behind Mary King (GBR) on 28 and Piggy French (GBR) on 20.<div> <div><div><div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; background-color: #ede2d6; "><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0cm; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; text-align: justify; line-height: normal; "><span style="font-family: 'Franklin Gothic Book', sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; "><font color="#000000">Click here for full results: <a target="_blank" href="http://www.burghley-horse.co.uk/" style="text-decoration: none; color: #990000; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-color: #99826b; ">Burghley Results</a> <br></font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0cm; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; text-align: justify; line-height: normal; "> </p><p style="margin-top: 5px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "><span style="line-height: 16px; font-family: 'Franklin Gothic Book', sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; "><font color="#000000"><span style="line-height: 16px; font-family: 'Franklin Gothic Book', sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; ">Click the following for the One News Burghley Preview (click on Chapter 4):<span> </span><a target="_blank" href="http://tvnz.co.nz/one-news/update-video-966704" style="text-decoration: none; color: #990000; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-color: #99826b; ">One News 1<sup style="vertical-align: text-top; ">st</sup>September</a><br><br><span color="#333333" size="2" style="font-family: Verdana;">TVNZ Breakfast Interview with UK Correspondent Paul Hobbs: </span><a target="_blank" href="http://tvnz.co.nz/breakfast-news/paul-hobbs-latest-europe-3-24-video-4381834/video" style="text-decoration: none; color: #990000; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-color: #99826b; "><span size="2" style="font-family: Verdana;">Breakfast Interview from Burghley</span></a><span color="#333333" size="2" style="font-family: Verdana;"> <br><br></span></span></font></span></p></span><div>Make sure you watch TV One News each night as UK correspondent Paul Hobbs will be reporting from Burghley. Country TV is also featuring Burghley<div> <div>By Diana Dobson – HP Media Liaison<div>Photos Courtesy of Libby Law
