Olympic duo vie for the title

Pippa Funnell and William Fox-Pitt, Olympic team-mates in Athens, hold the top two places at the Badminton Horse Trials as riders prepare for today's final showjumping phase.

The two Britons, who have won here before, were separated by 1.6pts after completing fast clear rounds across country yesterday. Funnell was marginally over the time on Primmore's Pride, but after her excellent dressage on Friday, she maintained the advantage on the big bay gelding.

Fox-Pitt, who was inside the time on Tamarillo, moved closer. If he jumps clear today, Funnell will not be able to afford a single error. Both have a fence in hand over Japan's Yoshiaki Oiwa, who rose from equal seventh to third place.

The majority of pundits would have predicted the two Britons to be at the top at this stage, but Oiwa, 28, who is competing here for the first time, surprised everybody, including himself and the bookmakers, who had made him a 200-1 shot, when he completed a fast clear round on 18-year-old Voyou du Roc.

The horse retires after today's showjumping and Oiwa was anxious his last competition would 'go nicely' for him. 'I wanted to be the first Japanese rider to finish here,' he said ,bemused at finding himself the centre of attention. He has been based at Gatcombe with his trainers, Andrew and Bettina Hoy for the past two years and he competed in his first four-star event at Burghley last year.

Andrew Nicholson was first to tackle the 31 fences and, as on previous occasions, he made them look easy, jumping clear within the optimum time of 12 minutes. Other riders watching on closed-circuit television must have been heartened to see the New Zealander riding Fenicio through the Totepool Triple at fence eleven and making nothing of the seriously narrow tree trunk that formed the third element.

Australia's triple Olympic gold medallist Andrew Hoy, who was second to go on Mr Pracatan, gave an equally impressive exhibition of cross-country riding. He was also within the time and, having been 0.3pt ahead of Nicholson in the dressage, took the lead. He held it for nearly three hours until his Japanese pupil Oiwa went ahead by 3.5pts.

Meanwhile, some top British horses dropped out. Fox-Pitt's first mount, Ballincoola, made an early exit when retiring on the steeplechase course, included here for the last time before Badminton adopts the short format. The horse was found to be suffering from a heart irregularity.

Olympic gold medallist Leslie Law had a fall with his first mount, Shear H20, after landing steeply at the first part of the Countryside Quarry (fence 28) and he later came to grief again with his victorious Athens Olympic partner, Shear l'Eau, who took a tumble at the Vicarage Vee (13).

Kristina Cook and Captain Christy came down at the gate out of Huntsman's Close (25). Though Mary King completed the course with Call Again Cavalier, she dropped out of the reckoning with a run-out at the second element of the Outlander Tree Trunks (27).