The Olympic gold medallist squeaked ahead of yesterday's leader Tom McEwen and JL Dublin with 21.1pp in the dressage phase.

The Brit rode his Olympic partner to the top of the leaderboard with 22.4pp as dressage got underway at the Badminton Horse Trials, May 7-11.

Halliday holds onto first place in the CCI4*-S, where Jessica Phoenix is the top Canadian in 16th place with Freedom GS.

Halliday and Bellissimo are tied in the 4*; top Canadian is still Colleen Loach with FE Golden Eye at the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event.

European champion Rosalind Canter celebrated her second 5* win this year at the French fixture which saw cross-country day shake up the standings.

The American rider and her remarkable gelding ended a 15-year drought by becoming the first US combination to win at Kentucky since 2008.

France’s Astier Nicolas takes the 4*-S with Babylon de Gamma and British Olympian Tom McEwen tops both the 4*-L and 3*-L divisions.