A superb clear with the Irish export Custom Made kept American David O'Connor ahead of the chasing field in the Olympic individual three-day event at Horsley Park yesterday.
O'Connor, who had shared the silver medal step on the podium with his wife Karen in the team event on Wednesday, held onto his dressage lead with "a dream ride" around the 29-fence cross-country course on his 1997 Badminton winner.
But he readily admitted afterwards that show jumping is the 16-year-old Bassompierre gelding's "weakest phase".
The American has a single fence in hand over Heidi Antikatzides who, at just five feet, is the smallest rider in the field. Antikatzides also had a near-perfect round, although the British-bred Michaelmas banked the corner at six, an obstacle that marred Irish rider Austin O'Connor's otherwise immaculate round with Horseware Fabio.
Mark Todd, who is making his last competitive outing before retiring to his native New Zealand, was stopped on course twice with Eyespy II, when Denmark's Nils Haagensen fell and again when the Brazilian rider Roberto Macedo fell. Haagensen was treated for bruising, but Macedo will be hospitalised for some time with a fractured pelvis.
Treating the delays as extra breathing space, Todd attacked the rest of the course with gusto, coming home inside the optimum time to move up the order to third when overnight second, Marina Kohncke, was eliminated at the second water complex.
Austin O'Connor, despite his first ever mistake with Horseware Fabio, still moved up the rankings to 19th, two slots ahead of former middleweight boxer Trevor Smith, who opted for a safe but "push-button" clear with the stallion High Scope.
