Heinrich-Hermann Engemann, one of four German riders in the Rolex FEI World Cup final, gained a convincing win on Aboyeur ahead of Steve Guerdat, the Swiss rider, on Tresor V in the opening speed leg of the three-part final in the Scandinavium Arena on Thursday.

The two favourites for the title - Jessica Kürten, of Ireland, on Castle Forbes Libertina, and Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum, of Germany, on Shutterfly, her European champion - are placed in third and fifth place respectively as the competition moves on to the more challenging second round on Friday. But Michael Whitaker, Britain's only contender, is fourteenth at the start of the second day on Suncal Portofino and has his work cut out if he is to have any hope of reaching the top three by Sunday.

Whitaker, 48, had the disadvantage of being drawn first out of the 39 starters and gambled on a careful clear round rather than a flat-out race against the clock. As the competition progressed, it became clear that the straightforward course, built by Rolf Ludi, the Swiss designer, was riding easily, putting a premium on speed.

Engemann, 49, a noted performer against the clock, had no inhibitions in hitting top gear on Aboyeur, a 14-year-old gelding he bought nine years ago and describes as “a fantastic horse, with a big heart”. Kürten paid tribute to his performance, saying afterwards that, even with hindsight, she would not have gone faster on Libertina because Engemann's round was “untouchable”.

While several riders, including Engemann and Beat Mandli, the holder of the World Cup from Switzerland, would have preferred a course with more options - giving riders alternative approaches to fences - Kürten pronounced the course “a fair test which produced good jumping and a good result”.

But there was disappointment for Marcus Ehning a dual winner of the World Cup from Germany. He had travelled to Gothenburg hoping to wipe out the memory of his eliminations on Kuchner Girl in the European Championships last summer, but suffered a similar fate when Sandro Boy, on which he won in 2006, napped at fence ten, a double, and was eliminated.

Rolex FEI World Cup (first leg): 1 Aboyeur (H-H Engemann, Ger) 68.37sec; 2 Tresor V (S Guerdat, Switz) 69.88; 3 Castle Forbes Libertina (J Kürten, Ire) 70.31; 4 Flexible (R Fellers, US) 70.40; 5 Shutterfly (M Michaels-Beerbaum, Ger) 70.49; 6 Ideo du Thot (B Mandli, Switz) 70.99. Other British: 14 Suncal Portofino (M Whitaker) 75.05.

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