Funnell tramps into lead

EQUESTRIANISM

Pippa Funnell held a narrow lead in the international section of the Brittany Ferries Three-Day Event here yesterday, after the second day of dressage was completed. It was a fine achievement since her six-year- old partner, Designer Tramp, only began learning one of the movements on Monday.

The young horse needed to learn half-pass in a hurry. "I gave him a crash course," Funnell said of the well-bred thoroughbred, who is a grandson of Bustino and was winner of the five-year-old class in the Pet Plan Burghley Event Horse final last year.

Funnell edged ahead - by just 0.6 points - of the overnight leader, Philip Surl on Coxley Kontiki. Lucy Thompson, now riding fo Ireland, is lying third on the eight-year-old thoroughbred, Nobleman III, who won an intermediate one-day event at Belton Park this year.

Thompson became available to ride for the Irish team after a syndicate (including her Irish father-in-law) bought the mare, Welton Romance, who was formally partnered by Ginny Elliott.

Funnell, who is 4 points ahead of Thompson, expects to take the fast routes when she tackles the 25 cross-country fences on Designer Tramp today.

Despite his youth, the six-year-old has won two intermediate one-day events this year and been placed in the other three. He was bold and confident over the cross-country in all of them.

Since winning at Bramham in 1992 and Blenheim in 1993, Funnell's fortunes in three-day events have taken a nose-dive. She is now concentrating on young horses and Designer Tramp could be the best of them.