New Zealand's Sir Mark Todd has set a strong foundation in his bid for a sixth win at the Burghley horse trials.
The two-time Olympic champion eased his way into the lead in the dressage with Leonidas II, the horse posting a four-star level best of 36.7.
"He's 13 now and finally starting to grow up," said Todd, who first competed at the event in 1979.
"He's always shown he can do a smart test, but until now it's been spoiled by little mistakes".
The 61-year-old has a late draw on day three which should benefit him, giving him a chance to assess how the 50 riders before him choose to tackle the cross-country track.
A host of big names are on his heels, with American Lauren Kieffer second (Veronica II, 37.0 points) and triple Olympic champion Michael Jung of Germany third (La Biosthetique - Sam FBW, 38.9).
Fellow five-time winner and Kiwi Andrew Nicholson also had a good day in the saddle, capturing the momentum of his Badminton win in May on his way to a score of 39.5 to move into fourth on the leaderboard.
After the cross-country phase, the event rounds out with showjumping on Sunday.
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