Kim Severson and Royal Venture still lead the Fair Hill CCI***, but their lead has diminished to just 2.2 penalties over Phillip Dutton and The Foreman. Dutton moved into second place with the only double-clear round of the day on the ex-racehorse.

“He’s quite an economical galloper,” said Dutton. “He’s fit, and I knew he was fit, and we set out from the beginning quite fast.”

Annie Jones bought The Foreman off the track as a 3-year-old, and Dutton has trained him since then. “He’s very rewarding for me,” said Dutton. “He’s a neat horse to work with.”

Severson wasn’t sure what to expect from “Vinnie,” who had done just one intermediate and one advanced horse trial in the last year. After two colic surgeries in England last fall and one surgery this spring, this was his first major competition of the year. “I didn’t have a good feeling about what to expect, but he ran better than I anticipated,” said Severson.

Now, she thinks he’s ready for a four-star. “He absolutely has a new lease on life,” she said. “He’s thrilled to be here and doing it.”

Along with her Olympic silver and bronze medal partner, Winsome Adante, Severson hopes to aim Vinnie for the 2006 World Equestrian Games.

Stuart Black jumped into third place with Fleeceworks Blackout, posting just .8 time penalties on the 9-year-old gelding, who was named to the Canadian Olympic team this summer but then taken off the team at the last minute. Formerly the ride of Kelli Temple, Fair Hill was only Black’s fourth event with him.

“[Kelli] said he’s great in the mud,” said Black, who just won the Radnor Hunt CCI** (Pa.) last weekend. “I kept checking his jump to go off the pace if he was tired. But he stayed right on the tightest route, which was not too chewed up.”

And Black expects his horse, who raced over fences in New Zealand until he was 7, to have his best day of the event tomorrow. “His strongest phase is the last one. If he has a rail, it will be my fault,” said Black, who stands 10.2 penalties behind Severson.

Amy Tryon slipped to fourth place on My Beau, taking a slightly more conservative trip than the leaders with her 15-year-old partner. Mary Grantham, of Charlottesville, Va., jumped into fifth place with one of the day’s fastest rounds, aboard Ides Of March.

Buck Davidson withdrew Idalgo, who stood third after dressage, before the start. “He banged a leg in the paddock after Foxhall [CCI*** (Ga.) in April], and we scanned it three times over the summer, and it’s fine,” said Davidson. “But there’s still a bit of a bump there, and I didn’t want to risk running him in the deep footing here. I want to save him for next year.”

Dutton had nearly finished the course with the first ride of the day, Connaught, but pulled up around fence 25. “It’s hard, when your adrenaline is up, knowing what to do, but he didn’t feel right,” said Dutton. When they got back to the barns, a scope revealed that the horse had a trapped epiglottis. He will have wind surgery, which Dutton expects will help him tremendously. “He’s had a problem cross-country, not getting into it enough,” said Dutton. “This may be why.”

Twenty-six horses jumped clean, and 48 horses finished the course out of 64 starters. Five horses withdrew before cross-country, 11 retired and one was eliminated. Fence 17-18AB, a bank drop to two corners, caused considerable trouble, as did the Aqueducts at fence 20AB and the Storm Serpents at fence 22ABC, and Wayne’s Walls, a coffin at fence 25ABC.

Decordova (Mark Weissbecker), Gibson (Kyle Carter) and Presto (Allison Springer) each retired with a fall at Fence 9, a ditch and brush. Presto fell into the ditch and became stuck, causing a hold on course for 45 minutes. He was taken to the University of Pennsylvania’s New Bolton Equine Medical Center for further evaluation, and his condition is unknown at this time.

Ralph Hill was eliminated for four refusals at separate fences on course aboard Reprint but had a great round on Bad Boy Billy. Sarah Hansel retired The Quiet Man after two stops at fence 4, a kayak into the water. Kristin Bachman fell at fence 3 aboard Gryffindor and retired.

Suzy Pettman fell from Sambucca at the final fence, fence 29, but remounted to finish. Karen O’Connor looked to be having a great round aboard Grand Slam, who won here last year, but the chestnut just ducked out of the skinny fence at 27C. Darren Chiacchia pulled up San Salvador after a few stops in the middle of the course. Will Faudree retired after falling from Wild Frontier at fence 23. He was taken to the hospital for evaluation for a possible broken nose.