Bettina Hoy, riding Ringwood Cockatoo, dramatically lost the lead she had established after the dressage phase of the international three-star event here when her 17-year-old gelding refused at Fence 7 in the influential showjumping phase last night and Hoy ended her round with a total of 29 faults.

Hoy, who spectacularly lost the individual Olympic gold medal in Athens after an infringement of the rules in the showjumping phase, has already been named as one of the five-strong team for the Germany team in Hong Kong, but they all need good performances this weekend to have their selection confirmed. Much will depend on how Hoy fares in the cross country today.

With Nicolas Touzaint, of France, the European champion, suffering a similar fall from grace – he dropped from second to fourteenth place with 20 faults in the showjumping on Joker d’Helby – the overnight lead has been taken by Tim Lips, of the Netherlands, on Blom’s Carlos, who is just under three points ahead of Ingrid Klimke, of Germany, on her Olympic contender, Butts Abraxxas.

Britain, fielding a second team – the Olympic squad are competing at Barbary Castle, in Wiltshire, this weekend – have some catching up to do in the cross country today. Georgie Davies on Fachoudette, who finished tenth at Badminton in May, produced the best dressage test of the five Britons, but collected 18 showjumping faults to finish in 27th place overnight.

Nicola Wilson, who is lying in thirteenth on Opposition Buzz, and Davies should move up today. Opposition Buzz “loves his jumping” and was seventh at Badminton, and Davies was one of only two riders to finish inside the time on the cross country at Badminton.

There was drama in the showjumping arena yesterday, when the Nordrhein-Wesfalen competition was held up for 20 minutes after Álvaro Miranda, of Brazil, suffered an horrific fall from his mare, Ad Ornella, after a mistake at Fence 6. He was attended to in the arena before being taken to hospital with a suspected leg injury.

The class was won by Christina Liebherr, of Switzerland, riding No Mercy, who was a fraction faster than Marcus Ehning, of Germany, on a revitalised Noltes Küchengirl in the eight-horse jump-off. Britain’s best performance came from Peter Charles, on Murkas Pom d’Ami, who finished sixth.

Tim Stockdale, whose two clear rounds in the Nations Cup on Thursday lifted Britain into joint-third place, only five points behind Germany, will give his mare, Fresh Direct Corlato, a last run tomorrow before the Olympic Games in the Rolex Grand Prix, which carries a first prize of €120,000 (about £95,000). The mare will then resume her normal routine at Stockdale’s Northamptonshire yard before going into quarantine at the end of the month.