The drivers' skills are tested thoroughly by each section and even though the dressage phase may be the most influential, it is the obstacle section of the marathon which draws the crowds - just as huge numbers of visitors flock to Badminton on cross-country day.

The weather was glorious and the scene was set for an excellent day's entertainment in the lovely grounds of Home Park beside the River Thames and the hundreds of people who turned up to watch were not disappointed. Fullers Brewery provided a team of heavy horses to ferry visitors from the entrance across the grounds and the huge swarm of continental team supporters whisked from obstacle to obstacle on their bikes - which were definitely a major asset for anyone wanting to see as much of the action as possible! The greatest concentration of spectators inevitably congregated around the water complex, which didn't look quite as difficult as in recent years, especially since the bridge has been removed.

Generally, competitors seemed to really like the course. All the obstacles had been re?designed and offered more alternatives than generally in the past, which were welcomed (although not helpful to photographers!). The bogey obstacle was not the water but obstacle No. 2 (named the Carlyle Hotel - they were all named after famous streets and hotels), which caught out the British duo of Karen Bassett, who became caught up with her team of Trakheners, as did Fred Pendlebury; and the last competitor of the day, Gerard Sainte-Beuve of France, who had the misfortune of turning his carriage over, thus incurring 60 penalties in the process.

Felix Brasseur & his Lippizaners set the standard through the hazards

Felix Brasseur soon set the pace in the Teams section with his splendid greys who put up an outstanding performance on what was their international debut. Apparently Felix decided to take them 'gently' through the obstacles, despite which they were obviously very quick, making it all look very easy. They completed the course faultlessly and I wondered if anyone could possibly better them … Well, one person did, of course, but not until much later. Interestingly, Felix Brasseur's background includes being an instructor at the world famous Cadre Noir in Saumur. He is obviously a superb all-round horseman.

The British cheered the teams of Richard Margrave, Barry Capstick and Geoffrey Woods around the course but they were not seriously in contention. Karen Bassett had been their highest placed team (George Bowman apart) going into the marathon, but their hiccup so early in the obstacle session was a major disappointment as Karen lost very valuable time which she could not recover.

When Gert Schrijvers' team reached the water complex (obstacle 8) it was evident that here was a man on a mission. His lovely black horses (Friesian x Arab) rushed through an incredible 7 seconds faster than Felix Brasseur - which was even quicker than the pony teams for whom turning is naturally easier. The Belgians are evidently going to have a very strong team for the World Four-in-Hand Championships at Wolfsburg in August - but then, so are the Dutch.

George Bowman and his striking Cumberland Cobs

British hopes as usual relied upon the experience of George Bowman, whose teams had been undefeated in national competition in 1999. Unfortunately, George did not have a completely smooth round, getting hooked up at obstacle 4 (named www.Asprey.Garrard.com!) and his overall position dropped from second to third behind Felix Brasseur, not to mention the overnight leader, Ysbrand Chardon, who proceeded to make the whole exercise look terribly easy (no wonder he liked the course). He bettered the time of every other competitor through the first six obstacles and then, realising that he had more than consolidated his lead, he took a slight 'pull' through the final two!

Despite the fact that Ysbrand did not particularly appreciate the new layout for the cones arena (on the actual Showground instead of in the Home Park), he did not let his feelings interfere with the accuracy of his driving and produced a double clear to win the competition 'in a canter'. Felix Brasseur and George Bowman both had double clears in this phase, thus maintaining the status quo.

Continues........

Photographs © Sue Wingate except (*) Helen Revington