Clark up to twelfth at Badminton

Aoife Clark and Master Crusoe added just 0.8 time penalties on the cross-country at Badminton Horse Trials yesterday, rising four places to 12th.

The performance left the Kildare rider 10.6 pens adrift of leader, Germany’s Michael Jung on La Biosthetique, the current Olympic, World and European champion justifying his favourite’s tag with a flawless cross-country.

Sam Watson and Horseware Bushman also go into today’s show jumping phase on their dressage score, their cross-country clear putting them in 24th place on 52.8 pens. He is followed by Elizabeth Power (September Bliss) in 29th, Sarah Ennis (Sugar Brown Babe) in 44th, Joseph Murphy (Electric Cruise) in 59th position, Jim Newsam (Magennis) in 64th and Michael Ryan (Ballylynch Skyport) in 68th place. Peter Hannigan (First Mate) was eliminated yesterday following a fall.