Equestrianism: Waygood hopes for win on home soil

RICHARD WAYGOOD deserves a change of fortune when he rides Master Fred and Joust in the Chubb Insurance Section of the Windsor International Horse Trials, which begin today in the Great Park. Last year he was in the lead on Crackerjack but was forced to withdraw after the cross-country because the horse was found to be lame. Later he took a crashing fall at the last cross-country fence with Fly by Night.

Waygood, 36, is Equitation Warrant Officer of the Household Cavalry's training wing at Windsor and he would dearly love to win this event on home ground. Last year he said that Joust, who is owned by the Queen, was his best future prospect. He rode the seven-year-old to win an intermediate class at Bicton earlier this month and now has another chance to prove the horse's worth at Windsor.

Lucinda Fredericks, the Windsor 1997 victor, also has two mounts: Darasass and Dashing Digby. She recently took a ducking with Darasass at the Punchestown Three-Day Event in Ireland so will be anxious to get the horse safely through the Prince of Wales Pond (fences 19 and 20) on Saturday.

Dashing Digby, who will be Fredericks' second mount, is competing in his first three-day event. The seven-year-old has already shown great promise in intermediate one-day events, with two second placings, plus a third and a fourth in only four outings.

Having been beaten by a 10-point margin when runner-up at Dynes Hall with Dashing Digby, Fredericks is well aware that the winning partnership of Daisy Dick and The White Sergeant could be the most difficult one to beat.

Dick, who was seventh at Badminton in 1997 on Headley Bravo, regards The White Sergeant as the best horse she has ever ridden.