Warning shot fired by New Zealand team

Nicholson coasted to victory in the Festival of British Eventing’s headline class, the British Open, winning with Nereo and finishing second aboard Avebury.

It was 50-year-old Nicholson’s first British Open title since 2002, but the Kiwis did not settle for that as Jonathan Paget took third and current Badminton champion Mark Todd fourth.

Pippa Funnell and Mirage D’Elle proved the top British combination in sixth place, taking the national title as a result, but they were more than six penalties behind Nicholson, who jumped two of six clear cross-country rounds inside the time.

New Zealand, World Equestrian Games bronze medallists in Kentucky last October behind Britain and Canada, had already been installed as serious Olympic medal contenders at Greenwich Park next summer.

“Nereo is very fast,” said Wiltshire-based Nicholson, who posted only the third British Open one-two after Mary King in 1996 and William Fox-Pitt seven years later. “It feels very easy for him. It feels like he knows the jumps before he has even seen them.”

Nicholson also won both advanced sections at Gatcombe on Saturday, meaning he collected just over £9,000 in prize money for his weekend’s work.

King (Imperial Cavalier) and Nicola Wilson (Opposition Buzz) both withdrew their horses ahead of the cross-country, an anticipated move given they will spearhead Britain’s European title defence in Luhmuhlen, Germany later this month.