BRITISH Olympic rider William Fox Pitt holds a slender lead after the first day of dressage at the Blarney Castle international three day event. Riding the eight year old Mulligans Shenanigans, Fox Pitt earned a mark of 45.0 and would have been further ahead of the field if a memory lapse had not cost him a two point penalty.

New Zealand's Mark Todd, who had set the early pace with a score of 45.4 on Word For Word, shares second place with Britain's Owen Moore and Prime Contender, while a best ever test from Claire Gilna and Sweeps Pedro left the Co Kildare combination best of the Irish in fifth.

Jane O'Flynn, who topped the Irish runners at Punchestown when finishing 12th with Rosemarie Sisk's mare Ladakha, has the edge in the national class with the six year old Gemstone, which she rides for the Clarke family of Carlow.

But, mirroring the international placings, there is only a fractional difference between O'Flynn and her closest rival, Emma Kieran and the grey St Ivers, who are a mere 0.6 adrift.