Equestrianism: Fast-food girl shows appetite for dressage

Jessica Irvine-Brown, a 19-year-old Australian who does an overnight shift at McDonalds five times a week, held the lead when the first day of dressage was completed yesterday at the Blenheim International Horse Trials.

Riding her grandmother's mare, Belcam Aaberdeen, she holds a 3.99 point advantage over the French former European champion, Jean-Lou Bigot, on Nogency.

Irvine-Brown had never been out of Australia when she was invited to bring the mare to England for a possible place in next week's World Equestrian Games in Spain. Those who failed to make the Australian squad were entered for Blenheim, hence the teenager's participation here.

She has some good form to her credit at home, having won the three star section of the Adelaide three-day event last November before finishing third in Sydney this year – so Mike Etherington-Smith's cross-country track, which she will tackle tomorrow, should be well within her compass. "I can't wait to go and jump it," Irvine-Brown said.

While the Australian does her nightshift, Bigot works as a municipal gardener for the town of Saumur every morning before riding in the afternoon. The Frenchman is well-known for his wonderful partnership with Twist la Beige, with whom he competed in six championship teams, winning five medals (one gold, three silver and one bronze). He does not believe that he will ever find another horse of the same calibre, but hopes for a good result here from eight-year-old Nogency.

Bigot is just ahead of Sweden's Viktoria Carlerback on Onyx and Milla Clayton-Bailey, who is lying fourth and best of the British, on Zarzoo. Lucinda Green, the former world and European champion who has a record six Badminton victories to her credit, is in sixth place with the grey mare Miss de Meena.

BLENHEIM PETPLAN INTERNATIONAL HORSE TRIALS (Woodstock, Oxfordshire): Results after first day of dressage: 1 Belcam Aaberdeen (J Irvine-Brown, Aus) 46.01 penalties; 2 Nogency (J-L Bigot, Fr) 50.00; 3 Onyx (V Carlerback, Swe) 51.41; 4 Zarzoo (M Clayton-Bailey, GB) 51.60; 5 Cosmos (N Spratt, NZ) 53.21; 6 Miss de Meena (L Green, GB) 53.21.