Nicholson in hunt at Badminton
Kiwi equestrian Andrew Nicholson is hot on the heels of the leaders heading into the last day of the Badminton horse trials in England.
A strong cross country round from Nicholson and his mount Nereo put the combination in third place ahead of the showjumping round to be contested tonight.
Nicholson and Nereo have 40.4 penalty points to be just 0.8 points behind leader Ingrid Klimke (Germany) and her mount Horseware Hale Bob, while the pair are separated by German star Michael Jung and his mount La Biosthetique Sam FBW, who have 40 points.
New Zealand’s Tim Price climbed the leaderboard by being one of just two riders to make it inside the cross country time limit, and he and his mount Xavier Faer sit fourth on 48.2 points. Fellow Kiwi Mark Todd has two horses in the top 10 - NZB Campino is in fifth on 50.4 points while Leonidas in ninth for Todd on 58.1.
Three-time Olympic medallist Nicholson told Horse&Hound website that the 17-year-old Nereo ‘‘was unbelievable’’.
‘‘It’s just my job to stay focused and every now and then I pull or kick,’’ Nicholson said after he finished six seconds over the time limit. ‘‘The course was nice to ride, but Nereo was telling me he was going at the best speed he could he knows when there’s big crowds that the cross-country isn’t just going to be a six-minute track so he preserves himself.’’
Price said: ‘‘The course wasn’t for the faint-hearted, but my guy has a big gallop and was awesome.’’