INKBERROW international Leslie Law made the line-up at the Chats-worth International Horse Trials in Derbyshire, where he was contesting the top CIC international one-day event section.
The event was part of the World Cup series, which links CICs across the world and leads to a final in France in the autumn.
It attracted a strong field and was headed by two of Britain's best known eventers, William Fox-Pitt and Pippa Funnell. Leslie, fresh from finishing fifth at Badminton a week earlier, again took fifth spot on Matt Butler.
"We were last to go in the opening dressage phase and got a very competitive mark, with the only hiccup being when Matt Butler broke in his medium trot," Leslie explained. "I thought the cross country was a strongish course this time, with some very narrow fences and lots on angles - not my horse's ideal sort of track. The terrain is very hilly at Chatsworth and you need a fit horse - it's difficult to keep them balanced as you go up and down too."
Despite this the pair jumped a good clear with 22.8 time penalties - the optimum time is virtually impossible to get given the terrain, and this score saw the pair complete the course in just under 7 minutes.
Leslie also finished fourth in two strong advanced sections at Chatsworth, riding V.A. Fox and Fox on the Run. Fox on the Run came close to winning, with just two show jumps down keeping him out of top spot.
The 37 year old has just been named as one of the riders selected for the British team at this year's European three-day event Championships.
They will take place at Punchestown in Ireland this September and Leslie will have a choice of two horses.
They are his two 'flying' greys - his 2003 Badminton partner and 2000 Olympic silver team medallist Shear H20 and the younger Shear L'eau, who he rode to fifth spot at the Rolex Kentucky three day event at the end of April.
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