Equestrian:Carlow's Sam Watson lies in a competitive eighth place following today's cross-county phase at the Mitsubishi Motors horse trials at Badminton.
Riding the 11-year-old home-bred Puissance gelding Horseware Bushman, which he owns in partnership with his parents John and Julia, the 24-year-old was one of only four riders to get home within the time over a course which saw 57 of the 81 starters complete.
Watson is just 7.6 penalties off the lead held by Australia’s Paul Tapner who’s on 44.9 with Inonothing going into tomorrow’s final show jumping phase.
Kildare’s Camila Speirs (20), making her debut at the event, picked up 9.2 time penalties to currently lie 13th with her mother Bridget’s 15.1hh gelding Portersize Just A Jiff. Most of the remaining Irish riders in the competition are bunched together down the field with Mark Kyle and Step In Time in 28th place (69.6), Sacha Pemble and I’ve Been Dun 32nd (75.3), Austin O’Connor and Pocket Rocket 35th (76.5) and Elizabeth Power and Kilpatrick River 36th (77.4).
Captain Geoff Curran is currently 49th on the leaderboard with Balladeer Alfred (101.7) while Michael Ryan and Old Road are in 51st place (103.5), both of these riders having had a stop on the course.
