Sharon hopes to set the record straight

All eyes will be on Sharon Hunt and Tankers Town on Sunday as they look to lay last year’s cross-country start box ghosts firmly to rest. The chestnut gelding, who finished fifth here in 2008, planted his feet last time and refused to start, resulting in elimination.

But 32-year-old Sharon, who has recently re-located her string from Suffolk to Kent, has experimented with various tactics over the past 12 months to get Tankers Town back on track.

“I have found that getting on him in the start box works really well,” said Sharon, who won an advanced section at Belton last time out.

The pair has started well at Badminton this year. A supple, accurate test earned them a score of 48.2 and leaves them in 11th place at the end of the first day.