DAY THREE - Bramham Horse Trials 2017: Taylor Iz a winner as Wilson rockets up to fifth

Wilson and One Two Many were sat down in 28th after Friday’s disappointing dressage test but the only perfect clear round propelled the combination into the CCI three-star top five on Saturday afternoon.

The pair stay on their dressage score of 50.3 with the combination now just 7.2 penalty points behind Britain’s Gemma Tattersall and Quicklook V who remain in the lead after Tattersall was successful in contesting a dubious 50-point penalty handed to the rider after her cross-country test.

Grafton’s James Sommerville also excelled with a clear cross country round on Talent who jumped from 20th to ninth.

And British star Taylor then won the CIC three-star event on Saturday evening on Trividden, steaming up from 15th after dressage after producing a double clear over show jumping and cross country with no time penalties in either.

Zara Tindall had to settle for finishing 14th on Fernhill Facetime while Harrogate rider Hazel Towers enjoyed two clear cross country rounds on Simply Smart and Simply Clover.

As far as the flagship CCI event is concerned, Friday night leaders Tattersall and Quicklook V produced a clear round with 6.4 time penalties but the rider looked to have been demoted down to 30th after falling foul of the new flag rule.

Wilson was heading for fourth as a result.

But the Brit was successful in appealing the decision and will now win her first CCI three-star at Bramham with a clear show jumping round inside the time in Sunday’s finale.

Tattersall and Quicklook V are 1.7 penalty points in front of second-placed Australian rider Sammi Birch on Hunter Valley II who went clear with 3.2 time penalties.

Japan’s Yoshiaki Oiwa is a further 0.6 penalty points back in third on Calle 44 who went clear with 2.4 time penalties.

There are another 0.9 penalties back to New Zealand’s world no 2 Andrew Nicholson on Byrnesgrove First Diamond who went clear with 2.8 time penalties.

There are then four points back to Wilson and One Two Many in fifth.

Huddersfield’s world no 7 Oliver Townend saw his chances officially ended when his sole remaining entry Note Worthy eventually retired from Saturday’s cross country test which proved problematic.

The duo sat 31st after dressage but had particular issues at the Suregrow Kidney Pond.

The former world no 1 then turned his attentions to providing commentary for Bramham’s close circuit TV pictures.

In wet conditions, clear rounds were in short supply and clears inside the time were non-existent until Wilson produced the first of the day on One Two Many.

Fourty-seven combinations tried and failed before her and the effort shot the duo up the leaderboard to fifth.

Grafton’s James Sommerville also provided a clear but outside the time on Talent who sat 20th after dressage.

The duo picked up 4.4 time faults to jump from 20th to ninth.

New Zealand’s Jesse Campbell, who was second after dressage on Cleveland, dropped down the order after picking up 20 penalty points at the Hollow.

And while Friday night leader Tattersall went clear over cross country on Quicklook V, 6.4 time penalties left they door slightly ajar for the chasing pack.

Nicholson was then dumped in the water on Swallow Springs who was tenth after dressage though the Kiwi had earlier posted a clear outside of the time on Byrnesgrove First Diamond who was seventh after dressage.

Japan’s Oiwa - fifth after dressage - also posted a clear outside the time on Calle 44.

Birch then could have taken the lead with a clear inside the time on Hunter Valley II but 3.2 time penalties left her behind Tattersall.

Funnell, third after dressage, could also have gone into the lead with a clear inside the time on Sandman 7 but 20 penalty points dropped them right down the order, guaranteeing Tattersall and Quicklook V the lead heading into the final day, though not without complications.

Frenchman Sebastien Cavaillon had a spectacular fall going into The Hollow on Sarah D’Argouges and the rider was taken to LGI but any damage was only muscular and both horse and rider were reported to be okay.

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The CIC three-star class was decided on Saturday evening with Taylor victorious on Trevidden, zooming up from 15th after dressage after producing a double clear over show jumping and cross country with no time penalties in either.

The USA’s Tina Coudray was the only other rider to go clear over cross country inside the time and she finished fifth in the CIC three-star on Under The Clocks.

Australia’s Paul Tapner jumped from 11th to second on Yogi Bear VIII while New Zealand’s Tim Price went from tenth to third on Cekatinka.

Harrogate’s Hazel Towers enjoyed a superb Saturday over show jumping and cross country.

Towers and Simply Smart went double clear over show jumping and cross country with just 15.2 time penalties added over cross country.

Towers and Simply Clover picked up just four show jumping penalty points and Clover also went clear over cross country, with just 11.2 time penalties.

Simply Smart consequently jumped from 64th to 22nd with Simply Clover moving from 68th to 27th.

Bedale’s Sara Bowe was eliminated over the cross country test having fallen from 34th to 62nd after picking up 223 penalty points in Saturday morning’s show jumping round.

Wilson was well placed to challenge for victory on Kings Advocate II but withdrew the ten-year-old is regarded as more of a longer term project.

Tindall picked up eight show jumping penalty points on Fernhill Facetime but then produced a clear cross country round to finish on 67.4

Australia’s Friday night leader Tapner picked up eight penalty points in the morning’s show jumping and was then eliminated over cross country.

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In the Bishop Burton College CCI three-star under-25s class, Bedale’s Caroline Clarke excelled by going clear in Saturday afternoon’s cross country test on Touch Too Much.

Clarke - who is a dental student and based in Bristol - picked up 42.8 time penalties but was able to rise from 22nd after dressage to 18th.

York-based Hector Payne also completed the cross country test on Dynasty but 23.2 time penalty points in addition to 20 jumping penalty points sent the rider from 13th down to 15th.

Payne’s other ride, Ironstein, was eliminated, and same fate was suffered by Womersley’s Sophie Platt on Be Be Be II and Bedale’s Charlie Dennis on DHI Hot Chip.

Britain’s Will Furlong appears to be cruising to victory as the rider now has a commanding lead on Collien P 2.

Not one combination produced a clear cross country round inside the time but Furlong only picked up 0.8 time penalty points, catapulting the rider from sixth to first.

With France’s overnight leader Thibault Fournier eliminated on Siniani De Lathus and Emily King retiring on Dargun, Furlong holds a lead of 11.6 penalty points over second-placed Gina Ruck on Rehy Too as part of a British one-two-three.

Charlotte Bacon is 2.2 points further back in third on Last Touch with 24.8 time penalties causing France’s Aurelien Leroy to tumble from second to fifth on Seashore Spring.

The Under-25s class finishes with its show jumping finale on Sunday morning, with precedes the show jumping conclusion of the CCI three-star.