Britain’s Emily King, the youngest competitor at The Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials, moved into second place after a near-perfect dressage test.
Riding her German-bred gelding Brookleigh, the 20-year-old King is 2.4 points behind the favourite, Germany’s Olympic Champion Michael Jung on La Biosthetique-Sam FBW.
Jung’s compatriot, Andreas Ostholt on So Is Et, is the only other rider to have a score in the 30s as the competition moves on to today’s influential cross-country phase.
Watched by her proud mother, Mary, a six-times Olympian and dual winner of Badminton, King displayed a confidence beyond her years as she and Brookleigh produced an elegant test to finish on a score of 36.8.
Carl Hester, Britain’s Olympic team gold medal-winner, described it as “the epitome of everything we’re looking for in dressage”.
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For King it was the “perfect” start to her Badminton debut. Already on the longlist for the Rio Olympic Games, after finishing fourth in Pau last October, she shrugged off any thought of nerves about Guiseppe della Chiesa’s cross-country course. “I’ve been to Badminton every year since I was born,” she said. “It’s been my aim to get here — I’m not nervous — just excited.”
Also well in contention are Britain’s Izzy Taylor on Allercombe Ellie and Dani Evans on Raphael II who are joint sixth on 40.4. Allercombe Ellie has shone at three-star level — winning Tattersalls in 2014 — but this is her first attempt at four-star.
Zara Tindall has her work cut out after finishing in 36th place on High Kingdom. “He hasn’t been in a proper arena for over a year and he was a bit excited,” she said of her Olympic and World team silver medal-winner who still needs to qualify for Rio after missing most of last season through injury.
Badminton has not proved a lucky place for Tindall but High Kingdom is a noted cross-country performer and Tindall is pleased that Chiesa has built a bold attacking track. “There’s plenty to do and a lot of big fences — which hopefully will suit him,” she added.