Madden (Cazenovia, N.Y.) and Abigail Wexner's Cortes 'C' were the penultimate combination to head into the d'Ornano Stadium and did not disappoint, delivering a quick, clear round to finish the first leg of competition in fourth place. The 12-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding proved deceptively fast as he used his ground-covering stride and scopey jump to produce an effortless round, stopping the clock in a time of 77.34.
"He's naturally a quick horse across the ground and we made some good turns; he's quick for a big horse," said the double Olympic Team medalist who strategized with Chef d'Equipe Robert Ridland before her round. "We strategized a bit and Robert Ridland told me to be in the 77 range, because if I had a rail I'd still be in the hunt."
While Madden was pleased with Cortes 'C' and her round on Tuesday, she still knows that there is a lot of jumping to be done in these World Championships.
"We've got a tiny bit done; it's just going to get bigger tomorrow and the next day."
Finishing the day in 18th place were Farrington (Wellington, Fla.) and Amalaya Investments' 12-year-old KWPN gelding, Voyeur. The combination looked on target to produce one of the quickest rounds of the day, but a late rail at the oxer at 11 meant they added four to their time, finishing on a score of 81.02.
"I thought I had a decent start; we had a cheap rail," said Farrington of his round. "He (Voyeur) maybe felt a little fresher than I would have liked, but we do have a lot of rounds left."
Like Farrington, Ward also set a competitive pace with Sagamore Farm's Rothchild, but they, too, were unlucky to just roll the pole at fence 11. He andthe 13-year-old Warmblood gelding finished the Speed Leg in 22nd place on a score of 82.13.
"He's in great form, he went beautifully," said Ward. "Towards the end of the course you're going to take a shot. He jumped very high and just ticked the back rail, he barely touched it. I think today you're going to take a bit of a shot."
Davis (Los Angeles, Calif.) is making her World Championship debut this week with Old Oak Farm's 10-year-old Belgian Warmblood Barron. A miscommunication at the influential wall, fence five, resulted in four faults and the pair finishing on a score of 89.43 in 70th place.
"He kept going and jumping clean and I think we're ready for tomorrow. He feels amazing, he's ready to go," said Davis of Barron's performance after the mistake at five.
After the Speed Leg France leads on a score of 2.08, with Sweden lying second on 3.01.
Ireland's Bertram Allen and Molly Malone were the winners on Tuesday on a score of 77.01.
The U.S. has drawn first of 33 teams in the order for Wednesday's competition.