Equestrianism: Boon and Clark stay out in front

TERRY BOON and Polly Clark, both aged 24 and fellow members of the winning British team in the 1994 European Young Rider's Championships, have retained their overnight leads in the two senior sections of the Chubb Insurance Windsor International Horse Trials.

Both suffered the ignominy of being eliminated in dressage tests in 1995 (Clark at Badminton and Boon at Burghley) but they did everything right on Thursday and their scores were not bettered when the dressage was completed yesterday.

Boon, who won team and individual gold medals in the European Young Riders contest of 1993, leads in the major Chubb Insurance section with Blue Admiral, whose score of 37.2 penalties gave him a pleasant surprise. "He doesn't give you a stunning feel, but he creates a nice picture and the judges seem to like him," Boon said of the nine-year-old grey gelding.

Richard Waygood, who is equitation warrant officer in the Household Cavalry, remains in second place on Crackerjack III, with Andrew Nicholson, of New Zealand, moving into third on King Leo. Nicholson, who also rides Valhalla IV here, had been due to do his dressage with King Leo on Thursday - but he was allowed to delay his test until the owners of the horse had arrived from America to watch him. The eight-year-old achieved the best of yesterday's scores.