Three races were held in each fleet at Sandringham Yacht Club today and the Dutch sailor recorded a hat-trick of wins to open up a 10-point gap at the top.

Bouwmeester, the Rio 2016 gold medallist who has won the world title three times, has now won four consecutive races at the regatta after starting out with a pair of third-place finishes.

She has seven points with Belgium's 2018 world champion Emma Plasschaert her nearest challenger on 17.

Plasschaert was first, third and eighth with Denmark's overnight leader Anne-Marie Rindom now lying third.

The Dane, the defending champion who is looking for her fourth world title, was second, 18th and 10th and has a score of 18.

All of the top 52 sailors will now progress into the gold fleet from tomorrow, giving the main contenders the chance to race against each other.

"This regatta is brutal," said Bouwmeester.

"It's nice to be into the finals, though, with all the top ones in the same fleet."

The competition, which was disrupted by thunderstorms yesterday, is a key event leading up to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

Many countries are using it to choose their sailors for the Games in Japan.