King reigns supreme on polished return to competition

Mary King's return to the top level of three-day eventing, following surgery this year on a broken bone in her neck, had a satisfactory beginning with her taking the lead on King Solomon III after yesterday's first day of dressage at the Burghley Pedigree Horse Trials.

King's polished test on the 13-year-old gave her a score of 43.4 penalties and the advantage over John Williams of the United States on Carrick (46.0) and Claire Phillips on Capuchin (46.2).

Both King and her talented mount, who has run in just two events in the last 18 months, have something to prove to the selectors if they are to be considered for next year's World Equestrian Games in Spain. Solomon has won four three-day events – Compiegne (1995), Blenheim (1996), Saumur and Achselschwang (1997) – but his subsequent progress to the top rungs of the eventing ladder has twice been interrupted by tendon strains.

As a result of this – and on account of her own injury in May – King knew that she would not be considered for this year's European Championships with either Solomon or her Olympic mount, Star Appeal. But the World Games are very much within her sights.

John Williams, one of the large contingent of United States riders who are trained by Captain Mark Phillips, took his nine-year-old mount, Carrick, just ahead of Phillips and her home-bred Capuchin, who jumped a splendid clear cross-country round at Badminton last year but had to be withdrawn after pulling up lame.

Burghley is running under the rules promoted as the new Olympic formula, with two show jumping competitions on Sunday – the first to decide the team event with the second providing the individual result.

The format was apparently tried out successfully in Brazil where most horses jumped better in the second round than the first.

The other innovation is to include five riders in the team for each nation, with the best three scores counting.