New Zealand's Andrew Nicholson is in second after the opening day of dressage at the Burghley Horse Trials in England.
Riding grey gelding Avebury, Nicholson was three points behind England's William Fox Pitt, while fellow Kiwis Jonathan Paget was in 13th on Clifton Promise and Mark Todd tied for 19th on Major Milestone. Defending champion Caroline Powell was in 29th place riding Mrs Tilly.
Nicholson has won Burghley twice before - 1995 and 1996 - and will ride his second mount, the Spanish-bred Nereo Later, tonight (NZT) in the second of two dressage sessions.
"Avebury is capable of going round here and hopefully I'll give him a good ride and he'll do his job,'' said Nicholson, who won bronze at the world championships and has been one of the world's best of late.
