Equestrian: Todd starts well in dressage

Double Olympic champion Mark Todd has posted an impressive score in the individual three-day event at the Sydney Games and is lying third on Eyespy II in the early stages of the competition.

Todd was delighted with his score of 39, saying Eyespy had settled nicely in the arena - unlike Diamond Hall Red who was spooked in the team's dressage.

"Well, that was a big relief," Todd said after his ride.

"He can sort of be a bit the same as the other horse, so we've been taking all sorts of precautions working him. But the last couple of days he's really started to relax."

The early leader in the competition is German Marina Koehncke on Longchamps with 34.8. Greek's only rider here, Heidi Antikatzidis on Michaelmas, is second with 37.4.

Todd is just 0.8 ahead of Australian triple team gold medallist Andrew Hoy on Swizzle In and Swede Sofia Andler on Amaretto.

Blyth Tait, the defending individual champion, is sixth on Welton Envoy but was bitterly disappointed with his score of 40.8.

Tait had ridden an extremely good dressage, but Welton Envoy just kept breaking his trot which cost the combination dearly on three of the 20 scoring movements.

Todd, who won back to back individual gold medals on Charisma in 1984 and 1988, said the New Zealand team had made special efforts to ask the crowd to keep quiet during the dressage.

In the team's event, the cheers for him upset his horse and Todd could not regain control of Diamond Hall Red.

"We had the signs up there saying no clapping and everything else because I was afraid that I might get the same reaction as I did with Diamond Hall Red.

"But actually when he went out there he almost sort of took a deep breath and relaxed even more and he was fantastic."

Todd said some of the problems with his horses being too fresh was linked to their feed.

The normal feed used by his horses had not arrived from England, and the Australian feed was a different mix with too much energy.

The same problem has affected Tait's two horses.

"Both the horses were just way over the top, so we changed the feed and cut his right back and since we've done that he's just started to relax and get more back to what he should be."

Todd said he expected several riders still to complete the dressage might post a better score than Eyespy, particularly Mary King's Star Appeal, but his horse would be there, or thereabouts, going into tomorrow's cross country.

Todd has yet to inspect the cross country course thoroughly, but did not expect the continuing hot weather would cause the horses any problems.

New Zealand is a ride short in the individual three-day event after both Andrew Nicholson's horses New York and Dawdle were ruled out lame.

Nicholson, who has been in Olympic teams with Todd since 1984, has already returned to England to prepare his other horses for competitions in Europe.

"It's terribly said. Andrew's a great mate. To come here with two sound horses and not end up getting to run both of them through injury...it's devastating for him and we all feel really sorry for him.

"We've all been there at some stage but that doesn't make it any easier."

- NZPA