Richard looks good for title defence
Reigning King Edward VII Gold Cup champion Mathieu Richard of France maintained pole position atop the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) Open World Match Race Rankings by an 82 point margin over England's Ian Williams.
Both skippers, who will compete in Hamilton Harbour during next month's Gold Cup spectacle, have enjoyed success recently on the prestigious World Match Racing Tour, won last year by lawyer Williams.
Richard also trails current World Match Race Tour points leader and defending champion Williams by 20 points with two races remaining in the nine-race series contested for at various venues across the globe.
Italy's Paolo Cian, who has withdrawn from this year's Gold Cup, is currently ranked third and closely shadowed by Aussie Torvar Mirsky, who will make the trip to Bermuda's shores early next month.
The promising 22-year old Australian skipper burst onto the world match racing scene last year when he won the ISAF Grade One Internationaux de France de Match Racing and since then has gone from strength to strength and established himself as a regular performer on the World Tour.
Earlier this summer Mirsky retained his Internationaux de France title when he beat Frenchman Richard in the final. He then followed up that success with a respectable fourth place finish at last month's Danish Open which was won by Williams.
Royal Bermuda Yacht Club (RBYC) will host the 101st year of sailing for the coveted King Edward VII Gold Cup showpiece October 7-12.