Stylish American rider Clark Montgomery thrilled the capacity crowd at the Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials (GBR), fourth leg of the FEI Classics™ 2013/2014, when he deservedly took the lead. His dressage test was a model of balance, consistency and harmony despite the wind that has battered the Gloucestershire site all day.

Montgomery, 32, was third last to go on William and Holly Becker’s 11-year-old Loughan Glen and scored the excellent mark of 33.5 penalties. This gives him a 2.5-penalty advantage over Australia’s Paul Tapner and Kilronan, who had until then maintained the lead since yesterday.

Francis Whittington (GBR), the highest placed of the home side, is now in third place on Easy Target, just 0.2 penalties behind Tapner.

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