Equestrian: Dressage efforts prove a step in right direction

Jock Paget is determined to stay in front at Burghley. Photo / Mark Mitchell

An emphasis on improving dressage in New Zealand's equestrian stocks is paying dividends, with Jock Paget and Andrew Nicholson in strong positions at Burghley.

Following a disappointing Beijing Olympics, equestrian bosses recognised New Zealand's modus operandi of starting modestly in dressage before storming home in the cross country and showjumping phases was no longer sustainable. New Zealand's two in-form riders Paget and Nicholson demonstrated how far New Zealand has come in the opening phase in Lincolnshire.

Paget, riding Clifton Promise on which he won Badminton in May, leads the field of 65 in the final four-star event of the Classics year with 36.7 penalty points.

First day leader German Ingrid Klimke is second on FHR Butts Abraxxas with 39.0 points, while world No1 rider Nicholson lies third on 41.3 points aboard Nereo.

Paget is also fifth equal on his second ride, Clifton Lush, while Nicholson is seventh on Avebury and equal 18th on Calico Joe.

New Zealand's other two Olympic bronze medal team members, Jonelle Richards on The Deputy and Mark Todd on Oloa, are 12th and equal 18th respectively.

"I thought it was a better test than he did at Badminton," Paget said of Promise's performance. "He was more consistent the whole way through."

Paget, who won the British Open one-day title at Gatcombe Park last month on Lush, acknowledged there was fresh pressure on him.

"It's certainly a new kind of pressure for me, but you put pressure on yourself anyway. I'm here to win and I'll do whatever it takes to try to make it happen."

Nereo, the last horse into the arena, produced a consistent performance. And Nicholson was confident Nereo would navigate the cross country, which has 31 fences, with similar poise last night (NZT).

"Nereo's tackled all sorts of courses all over the world. He prefers a big, galloping track as he's got such a huge stride and he has to work quite hard across the undulations here, but I'm sure he'll cope with it, as he's done before."