Andrew Nicholson’s test on Nereo puts him in the  lead in the Mistubishi Motors Badminton CCI****, and he wants to win badly. Photo by FEI

Badminton, England—May 8  

Andrew Nicholson’s a man on a mission. The five-time Burghley CCI**** winner and six-time Olympian has never won a Mitsubishi Motors Badminton title, even though he’s completed the event 33 times. But now he’s sitting in first after dressage with Deborah Sellar’s Nereo.

“I want to drive home as this year’s winner on Sunday,” Nicholson said. “I come here year after year well prepared and determined, and this year I am really, really focused with very good horses.”

Despite some strong challenges from a legion of dressage protagonists today, no one managed to top the New Zealander’s score from Thursday of 37.8.

“I’m a little bit surprised to still be in the lead, but Nereo felt very smart in there, so I knew that if I was to be overtaken they wouldn’t be very far in front,” said Nicholson.

Many peoples’ fancy for this year’s title, William Fox-Pitt and Christopher and Lisa Stone’s stallion Chilli Morning, sit handily in second place after scoring 39.0 in dressage. Two blundered flying changes marred an otherwise excellent test, but Fox-Pitt was still pleased with Chilli’s performance.

“It wasn’t his best test today,” admitted Fox-Pitt. “Maybe a bit of tension crept in, and at this level you can’t afford three mistakes.”

William Fox-Pitt on Chilli Morning, in second. Photo by FEI

Oliver Townend squeezed every possible mark out of Paul Ridgeon’s grand old campaigner, Armada, to score the third and final sub-40 mark—39.6—and occupy third spot at this stage.

Incredibly, Armada is a full-brother to Nicholson’s horse, Nereo. They are both Spanish-bred by the stallion Fines.

“Everyone knows what Armada can do in the dressage and today was probably the first time he’s come to Badminton and done a mistake-free test,” said Townend. “This is the first time he’s come to Badminton felt he’s ready to do his job in the arena. Usually, you’re sitting on eggshells, but as the test progressed and when we got into the canter, I could ride him more and more.”

Oliver Townend on Armada, in third.

Ingrid Klimke is currently in fourth place for Germany with Horseware Hale Bob on a score of 40.2, while New Zealander Jock Paget occupies fifth and sixth places with Clifton Lush and Clifton Promise respectively.

Saturday’s cross-country action starts at 11:30 a.m., when the first out on the course will be Paul Tapner and Kilronan.

Nicholson will be the 15^th out of the box at 12:15 on Nereo. “It’s very fair and the fences are all there to be jumped,” he said of the cross-country course. “The time will be difficult, so we just have to go out there and do our job properly. The weather caught us all out last year [when heavy rain created boggy footing] but I am very focused and will be holding on to the mane this time!” Nicholson said, referring to his fall off Nereo at Badminton last year.

But there was a steely determination in his voice when Nicholson continued. “I know what I have to do. It’s no good thinking I can just go a little slower because I’ve got a little bit in hand or I just want to go clear. I want to win it. So, I’ll be riding like I normally do and trying to go round inside the time,” he said.

Riders have been weighing up Italian course designer Giuseppe della Chiesa’s cross-country course, which last year claimed such notable scalps as Nicholson, Fox-Pitt, Sir Mark Todd, Pippa Funnell and Mary King. As is traditional, the direction has been reversed this year so that it runs anti-clockwise, the route riders tend to prefer, and the general perception is that the intensity has been reduced.

However, the Italian designer, only the fourth in Badminton’s 66-year history, has still set some of the difficult lines for which he is renowned. 

The riders will have been carefully assessing the big brush corners at the ISH Studbook Huntsman’s Close (fence 8), which were so influential in 2014, the cunningly placed logs on undulating ground at the Swindon Designer Outlet Mound (15-16), the tricky carved hedges at the Mirage Pond (18), the choice of rolltops at the Shogun Hollow (22) and the curving line through three silver birch rails at fences 25-26, the complex named after Badminton’s official charity, Sense.

“The course is a little bit kinder than last year, with not as many combinations, but you can’t get away from the fact it is still big, it’s still Badminton, and there’s no room for error anywhere,” said the seasoned Kristina Cook of Great Britain, who is lying 11^th on De Novo News.

Full Mitsubishi Motors Badminton CCI**** dressage results.