IRISH rider Bertram Allen and the Irish-bred horse Flexible, ridden by American Rich Fellers will be vying for the top spot in the Longines FEI World Cup following round two of the gruelling three-round final.

Despite a single rail down in the first round of this morning’s (Saturday) formidable second leg of the Longines FEI World Cup Final in Las Vegas, Ireland’s Bertram Allen remains in contention for overall victory.

Just a single penalty separates the Wexford rider from joint leaders Switzerland's Steve Guerdat (Albfuehren's Paille) and Rich Fellers (Flexible ISH).

The 19-year-old and his 11-year-old mare Molly Malone are now ranked third of the 41 horse-and-rider combinations who started the championship in Las Vegas on Friday morning and carries just one penalty point going into Sunday’s last leg.

By the halfway stage of this morning's first round of the second competition, only one rider had managed to record a clear round and at the end only six managed to qualify for the jump-off, which was eventually won by Switzerland’s Steve Guerdat and Albfuehren's Paille.

Like many of today's first round competitors, Wexford-born Allen fell foul of a daunting triple combination that came up fast after a turn at the bottom of the arena, and he had the third part down for four faults, thereby missing the jump-off. However, his overall speed gave him seventh place in the competition.

Rich Fellers (USA) and the 19-year-old Irish Sport Horse Flexible put in a remarkable performance in to become joint leaders on a zero penalty score going into Sunday’s final.

The 56-year-old rider and the son of Cruising the largely American audience at the Thomas and Mac Center to its feet with a copybook clear first round, and with a single mistake in the jump-off finished in fourth place overall behind Swiss winner Steve Guerdat and Albfuehren's Paille.

However, with a second place to their credit in the first leg of the final, Fellers and Flexible now share first place in the rankings with Guerdat, before Sunday’s last competition.

Flexible, foaled in 1996 on Irish soil, was bred by Catherine and Edward Doyle and is by the Irish Sport Horse sire Cruising out of Flex (ISH) by Safari (TB).

Owned by American couple Harry and Mollie Chapman, Flexible has been ridden for 14 years by Rich Fellers.

This is the pair’s seventh time competing in the FEI World Cup and, were they to win, would become their second victory. They won the FEI World Cup Final at ‘s-Hertogenbosch in the Netherlands in 2012

Standings after second leg of Longines FEI World Cup

=1 Steve Guerdat and Albfuehren's Paille 0 PENALTIES

=1 Rich Fellers and Flexible (ISH) 0 PENALTIES

3 Bertram Allen and Molly Malone V 1 PENALTY