EQUESTRIAN: Student ho can edenburg Britain's Julie Tew, who leads the IFG three-star at Punchestown after the first day of dressage, is determined that the Co Kildare event will reverse the run of bad luck that has seen her fail to complete two three-day events in the past fortnight.
The 27-year-old Gloucestershire rider and the Irish export Sir Roselier yesterday began with the best possible start to their attack on the Punchestown prizefund by taking a slender lead after a classy dressage test that has put her 0.8 of a penalty clear of fellow Briton Lucy Henson with another Irish-bred grey, A Touch Of Frost.
New Zealand's Andrew Nicholson (Fenicio), Frenchman Jean Teulere (Domino De Beg Miel) and America's Christy Price (Grey Spirit II) complete the top five, with Eric Smiley best of the home side in sixth with the talented Kambalda gelding Macloud.
Two slots lower, Paul Dempsey and the grey Pepe Le Pew, are fractionally adrift of the 2000 Badminton winner Mary King with King Richard.
