Fox-Pitt excited by Eventing course

British designer Sue Benson's 28-fence cross-country course will challenge the world's best riders over 6km of testing, twisting Greenwich Park terrain.

Although the competition begins with two days of Dressage, starting tomorrow morning, Monday afternoon's cross-country test should separate the serious medal contenders from the rest.

A crowd of 50,000 is expected to watch riders tackle such imposing obstacles as the River Bank, East End Barrows, Chestnut Logs, Bandstand Rails and Observatory Turn.

Competitors were allowed their first glimpse of Benson's work on Thursday.

The optimum course time has been set at 10:03, with Britain expected to fight for team medals alongside the likes of Australia, France, Germany, New Zealand, Sweden and USA .

'This course is going to be a first for many, which will make it a very exciting competition. It's a bit like Gatcombe without the galloping bits,' Fox-Pitt said.

'There are a good few teams that will all probably have an equal chance of dealing with it. I don't think it is going to play into anyone's hands particularly.

'There are quite a few fences where you can't see what is coming, so you need to prepare to be slightly surprised. It's the sort of course that if you could ride around it twice, you would have a much better go second time around.'

Germany, spearheaded by their reigning world and European champion Michael Jung, start as favourites, yet a New Zealand team containing double Olympic gold medallist Mark Todd, Andrew Nicholson and Caroline Powell on her 2010 Burghley winner Lenamore, will also aim to strike gold.

Todd, 56, is New Zealand's oldest Olympian at these Games, and he was in high spirits on the eve of his seventh Olympic experience.

'Since I've been here I keep getting questioned as to what team I am an official for,' he joked.

'I keep getting on the bus and people say "this bus is only for athletes". I constantly have to say "I am an athlete"!'

'It's probably not quite the same as when we first went to Los Angeles in 1984.

'Andrew (Nicholson) and I were new kids on the block. We sort of ran round the athletics track, jumped the hurdles. We did this, we did that. We are kind of over that now.'