Masterclass at Weston

For once the sun shone on this superb Shropshire venue, better known in the past for its ability to deal with copious amounts of rain.

A light breeze and some cloud cover made conditions bearable for the Advanced riders, in action on the second of two days of competition.

Nicholson the 45-year-old New Zealander who has won World Championship gold and Olympic bronze medals, headed two of the three Advanced sections on offer.

He headed Advanced Section L by a clear six marks on the great Lord Killinghurst, at 16 approaching veteran status.

The horse, whose only jumping penalty came in the show jumping phase when he rolled one pole off the final part of the treble, has finished second and fourth at the Mitsubishi Motors Badminton CCI**** 3 day event in the past and will be back there this May for another crack at the title.

His other winning ride Henry Tankerville, five years his stable mate's junior, is also going to Badminton this year.

He finished just half a mark ahead of in-form British rider Oliver Townend, who came from the very end of the competition to snatch second spot on Waterbeck Basil.

Malpas-based Emily Gilruth took fifth spot in Advanced Section J on the flying grey Ashdale Master Cruise, who jumped one of the fastest cross country rounds in the section.

The eight-year-old, who is owned by Whitchurch-based Henry and Edna Harding, only made the move up from Novice level at the tail end of 2006 and was 12th in the Somerley Park CIC** International one day event in Hampshire at the end of March.

The Advanced pre-Badminton competition, Section K, was headed by Australian former Bramham title winner Paul Tapner. The Swindon based 31-year-old led the way by nearly six marks on Inonothing, with Swedish rider Viktoria Carlerback finishing second and third on her two rides Onyx and Bally's Geronimo.

Nantwich rider Hannah Bate was seventh in this section on Valdemar, one of just three horses to go clear in the advanced show jumping phase all day.

Hannah was also fourth and fifth in the Advanced Intermediate section on Beau Bear and In a Dream, 8th at the Weston Park CCI** 3 day event last autumn.

Malpas based Polly Stockton withdraw her two Advanced rides Regulus and Tom Quigley after the show jumping phase, preferring to save their cross country abilities for a crack at Badminton.

Stockton did claim fourth spot in an Intermediate section on the eight year old Westwood Poser, an Irish bred horse she part owns with Arthur Comyn, whose two show jumping time penalties cost him second spot.

The Advanced Intermediate section went to Australian triple Olympic gold medallist Matt Ryan on Slight of Hand, who finished over 10 marks clear of Sweden's Dag Albert and his 2006 World Equestrian Games partner Who's Blitz.

Gilruth was third in this section on another of the Harding's horses, the nine- year-old bay CS President, who completed on his dressage score.

Nicholson completed his hat-trick at Intermediate level, when Mr Cruise Control lived up to his name cross country and scorched home with one of the best times of the event.

Brewood-based Rachel Gough finished sixth in the Open Intermediate Under 21 section on the Shropshire bred Bow House Mandolin.

This competition saw 14 riders penalised for going too fast cross country and Rachel was one of these, picking up 2.4 "too fast" penalties in an otherwise faultless performance.

By Kate Healy