German challenger Julia Krajewski not only held her overnight lead with Chipmunk FRH after the second day of dressage, but her closest challenger emerged as team-mate and reigning European champion Ingrid Klimke.
Klimke delivered a trademark display that oozed star quality on SAP Hale Bob OLD, posting a score 23.3 penalties to trail Krajewski by just 3.4 penalties heading into Saturday's cross-country phase of the Mars, Inc. Eventing competition.
Great Britain's Ros Canter and Allstar B complete the top three on 24.6, while Germany hold a convincing lead in the team competition, with their score of 73.4 breaking the previous best FEI World Equestrian Games™ record for a team dressage score set by Great Britain in Jerez, Spain in 2002.
They lead the British quartet by more than seven penalties, while the United States are close behind in third, followed by France, Australia and New Zealand.
Germany are chasing a third world team crown in the last four FEI World Equestrian Games™, and they are also well-placed for another Individual Gold medal following Sandra Auffarth's 2014 success in France.
"I am very happy," Klimke said. "He did such a wonderful test, he was so calm and concentrated. He was perfect. He was ready and waiting to get in there. He is 14 now and very mature. He did a beautiful job and for me it was a pleasure."
Assessing the Cross-Country challenge, Krajewski said, "There are quite a few fences where you have to have your line right and be very concentrated."
For Canter, her dressage performance maintained consistently impressive form on the 13-year-old stallion Allstar B, and she unquestionably poses a serious threat to German domination with her colleagues Piggy French, Tom McEwen and Gemma Tattersall.
"No matter what the atmosphere, he never changes," Canter said. "I gave him a day off on Thursday because he worked so well the day before. He has just got that temperament where he puts 100% in for me every time, and it's more the pressure for me that I want to do him proud and everyone else who has helped get me here."
Although Krajewski has a clear lead, just 3.9 penalties separate the riders placed from second to ninth, and it is certain that the leaderboard will change considerably across the North Carolina terrain on Saturday.
That group features riders from six different countries, including French Olympian Thibaut Vallette, Sweden's Sara Algotsson Ostholt, New