Equestrianism: Fredericks able to capitalise

Lucinda Fredericks advanced from overnight sixth place to gain her second victory in the Blenheim International Horse Trials, having ridden Headley Britannia to one of the few clear rounds in yesterday's final show jumping. Fredericks, who was still Lucinda Murray when she won Blenheim's first three-day event in 1990, could scarcely believe her own good fortune as all those above her after the cross-country (including her husband, Clayton) dropped back through jumping errors.

Rain had started when Fredericks, jumping in the usual reverse order of merit, achieved her clear round. The wet weather may have contributed to the mistakes that followed, including those of Jessica Irvine-Brown, who led after the cross-country only to plummet to 15th place when her grandmother's Belcam Aaberdeen had four fences down.

The French former European champion, Jean-Lou Bigot, was the eventual runner-up after Nogency incurred four penalties at the last of the 11 fences. With Lucinda Fredericks having taken the nationality of her Australian husband, Tim Davies had the distinction of being the best Briton when progressing from ninth to third on his own eight-year-old mare, Quackers. Next came two more home riders, Rodney Powell on Major Sweep and the former world and European champion, Lucinda Green on Miss de Meena.

Headley Britannia, the winning mare who was originally sent to Fredericks to be sold, won an intermediate section at Aldon this year, despite the rider dislocating her thumb and having to press it back into place while riding across country. The pair also finished second in the Intermediate Championship at Gatcombe and 12th at Bramham, where they were clear in the cross-country and show jumping. Fredericks likes the mare ("I get on well with her") and she is now hoping to find a buyer who will allow her to keep the ride.

William Fox-Pitt was the only member of the Great Britain squad for this week's World Equestrian Games to ride at Blenheim – and he must have felt that it was a daft decision when he took a crashing fall with Midnight Dazzler on Saturday's cross-country course. All was well, however, and he was able to show jump his other mount, Ballincoola, before getting ready for today's flight to Spain.