BRITISH Olympian William Fox-Pitt made his presence felt on the opening day of the Festival of British Eventing at Gatcombe.
Fox-Pitt dominated the dressage phase of the advanced class, leading aboard Chilli Morning, lying third on Running Order and holding sixth spot with Seacookie.
Marlborough-based New Zealander Andrew Nicholson, the current world number one, is second on Quimbo, while Lucy Wiegersma - Fox-Pitt's Great Britain team-mate at the European Championships in Sweden later this month - is fourth on Simon Porloe.
Yorshireman Oliver Townend is the early leader of the intermediate section after posting a dressage score of 25.7 penalties on Cooley Master Class, with Holland's Andrew Heffernan heading the novice championship on Bolelybawn Ace.
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