Trevor Coyle and the stallion Cruising made an encouraging start to the 21st World Cup final in Gothenburg yesterday, galloping their way to sixth place in the speed leg that was totally dominated by world champion Rodrigo Pessoa.

The Brazilian is in Sweden to defend the title he won in Helsinki last year and yesterday's victory came with his 1998 winner, Gandini Baloubet de Rouet. The Selle Francais stallion, which is now 10, had an incredible two seconds advantage over western European league winner Beat Mandli and Positano, with Germany's Ludger Beerbaum and the veteran mare Ratina Z in third place.

Coyle and Cruising had led the western European league until just before Christmas having won the Cup qualifying rounds at both Millstreet and Geneva. Their spring tune-up for Gothenburg certainly seemed to hit the right note when they claimed the Dortmund Grand Prix a fortnight ago, leaving Beat Mandli and Positano down in third on that occasion, and yesterday's performance now puts the Irish combination just over a fence adrift of the leaders on 5.15 faults and well in with a chance of improving on their overnight sixth during the next two legs.

Ireland's other runner, Peter Charles, was somewhat unlucky when Traxdata Carnavelly connected with the upright after the looping turn back from the first of two water trays that caught out several combinations. Mistakes in this speed leg are traditionally converted into penalties and Charles, the 1995 European champion, is now in 17th overall on 8.17.

Pessoa, who became the youngest ever winner of the world championships when he took individual gold in Rome last year at the age of 25, now goes forward to tonight's jump-off class that forms the second leg of the final with a completely clean sheet, leaving the rest of the field attempting to play catch-up.