Tag Archives: Boyd Exell

*Featured/Spotlights, Championships, Driving, FEI

Boyd Exell Came, Saw and Conquered at FEI World Four-in-Hand Championship Breda

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Boyd Exell (AUS) (FEI/Krisztina Horváth)

Breda (NED), 5th September 2016 – Defending World Champion Boyd Exell from Australia came, saw and conquered at the 23rd edition of the FEI World Four-in-Hand Driving Championship at Breda, the Netherlands. Exell won all three phases of the combined competition and was crowned individual World Champion for the fourth time in a row. Boyd left Dutch drivers IJsbrand Chardon and Koos de Ronde to battle it out for the silver and bronze medals. Host nation the Netherlands took home team gold for the fifth consecutive time.

Fifty-six drivers from 16 nations had travelled to The Prinsenhoeve Estate in Breda, which has been host to many FEI Championships in the past. Contrary to the previous years, the organisation had changed the layout of the show grounds completely, which resulted in a very nice set up with a true World Championship atmosphere. The mud from last year at the FEI World Pony Driving Championships in Breda was still in most people’s minds but this was quickly forgotten thanks to the lovely sunny weather during the competition days.

Dressage

After four-times World Champion and Dutch team member IJsbrand Chardon had taken the lead in the provisional dressage standings the first day, all eyes were set on the reigning World Champion Boyd Exell on the second day. Boyd had decided to use the experienced 16-year old gelding Rambo in the wheel instead of the better moving mare Daphne. Boyd showed perfect transitions and extensions with his beautiful team of horses and was awarded with the winning score of 33,15 points by the Ground Jury: “I was very pleased with my test; the horses went very well. I am disappointed that the Judges were not brave enough to give points,” commented Boyd. “I believe I have the best pair of leaders that there are at the moment. I have sold one of them to Hungarian driver Martin Hölle, who will use this horse in his horse pair. I thought to myself that if I can’t get more points anyway with these two fantastic leaders, I might as well sell one. I do have a lot of depth in my team. I will use the leader horses of Aachen in my team next season.” 2014 silver medallist Chester Weber from the USA finished on the third place.

Marathon

Level 4 Course Designer Jeroen Houterman from the Netherlands had designed a challenging marathon with eight demanding obstacles: “This is the first proper marathon since the World Championships in Riesenbeck 2012,” said Exell. The first obstacle was situated in the main arena, which attracted many spectators as well as the other obstacles. Some 10,000 spectators visited the event on marathon day.

As the day passed by, the competition became very exciting, with a great deal of activity: “We had lots of work today,” commented Houterman. “It was a fair course but there were lots of drivers with problems. They took the very short routes, while the longer routes were much better. I hope this will be a lesson for those drivers for next time.”

The most unfortunate in the marathon was probably the young talented driver Edouard Simonet from Belgium, who was very well underway and drove nice and fast. However, on his way to the last gate in obstacle six, his carriage tipped over. Edouard was thrown but managed to hold on to the reins and injured only his ankle.

German drivers Christoph Sandmann and Michael Brauchle who had almost beat all the fastest times up to that moment, but as the saying goes, they saved the best for last. The tension grew when the top five drivers entered the main show grounds. Theo Timmerman (NED) drove fast and steady without any mistakes. His compatriot Koos de Ronde really went for it: “My goal was not to make any mistakes. I went all right in the first few obstacles, and I was able to speed up.” He had one knockdown in the last obstacle but this did not prevent him from finishing on the second place: “It was a very nice course,” said Koos. “My team is in super form; they were a little tired in the end, but I am very pleased.” De Ronde has moved up to the second place in the standings behind Exell, who has an advantage of 19,07 points.

Chester Weber missed the necessary speed in his team and finished in 21st place, which put him back to fifth place in the standings. IJsbrand Chardon had to replace his experienced leader horse Darco with a less experienced horse leading his team, and was unable to perform at his normal high level. Chardon also nearly drove a wrong gate in obstacle 7 and dropped to bronze in the individual standings after dressage and marathon.

All eyes were set on last starter Boyd Exell, who put in an excellent performance: “It was a course to treat with respect. My horses went very well. I did some training after Aachen and I was happy with my leader horses now.”

Cones

The battle in the tough cones course was about the silver and bronze medal. Chardon was the first driver to stay within the time, but had an unlucky knockdown, which gave his compatriot Koos de Ronde some more air. De Ronde had silver in his sights but lost it when he knocked two balls down. Chardon took home the silver medal; and De Ronde dropped to bronze.

“It was a very difficult course,” commented Chardon. “But I had a very safe feeling and I was well within time. I am pleased with my silver medal. We came here to win gold, but Boyd was simply better again. We will definitely go for it again in two years’ time!”

Koos de Ronde was also pleased with his bronze medal: “This is the best result I have ever achieved at a World Championship. Of course I would have loved to have won silver, but I don’t feel I have lost silver, but I have won bronze.”

USA’s Chester Weber drove a very good obstacle driving competition and moved up to the fourth place in the individual standings, just ahead of the third Dutch team member Theo Timmerman and the best ‘rookie’ at the World Championships in Breda, 24-year-old József Dobrovitz jr. from Hungary.

German lady driver Mareike Harm drove an excellent cones course and left the arena with only 2,44 for exceeding the time, which moved her from the 16th to the well-deserved 9th position, finishing as the best four-in-hand lady driver in the world.

After winning the dressage and the marathon, Boyd also won the obstacle competition, which is unique at a World Championship. His advantage over Chardon in the end was 24,73 penalty points.

The Dutch team won the gold medal for the fifth consecutive time, with an advantage of 25,13 points to Hungary and Germany.

Last World Championship

The medals were presented by the Chairman of the FEI Technical Committee Driving Károly Fugli (HUN) and Bettina de Rham (SUI), FEI Director Driving. Breda was the last Driving Championship for Bettina in this role. She will take over as Director of the Dressage and Para-Equestrian Dressage Department at the FEI next month: “I have very much enjoyed being involved in FEI Driving the past eight years,” said Bettina. “I will for sure miss it, but I will still follow the international driving sport and will remain involved, but less close.”

During her term as Driving Director, the number of international driving competitions has gone up 50% and many important milestones were reached, such as the introduction of the 1, 2, 3 and 4-star levels, the changes in the qualification criteria and, most importantly, the whole Driving rulebook was re-written.

By Cindy Timmer

FEI Media Contact:

Shannon Gibbons
Manager Press Relations
shannon.gibbons@fei.org
+41 78 750 61 46

*Featured/Spotlights, Driving, Hunter/Equitation, Pony, Show Jumping

Royal Windsor Horse Show Concludes in Front of a Packed Audience

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The final day of Royal Windsor Horse Show combined top class sport and entertainment as the excitement builds ahead of The Queen’s 90th Birthday Celebration in Home Park (Private).

A full house of enthusiastic visitors witnessed the USA’s Kent Farrington claim the biggest spoils of the week in the Grand Prix for the Kingdom of Bahrain Trophy. Despite a valiant challenge by Britain’s John Whitaker (Argento), who thrilled the home crowd, the American visitor took the win with the super speedy Creedance.

After an exciting first round, 14 riders came through with faultless score cards to the jump-off. Canada’s Tiffany Foster, riding Brit Ben Maher’s former London Olympic gold medal winning ride Tripple X III, was second to go and held the lead for almost half the second phase with her clean performance. She was toppled from pole position when Kent smashed her target by three seconds, causing those watching to whoop in delight at the display of calculated horsemanship.

John then tried to steal the win for the home crowd, but finished one second adrift despite a strong start out on the shortened course.

“Up to the planks [halfway around the track] I knew I was quicker,” said John, who praised Royal Windsor Horse Show’s move to four-star jumping. “Then he spooked at something. I don’t know what it was, so I ended up doing two or three strides more than Kent.”

The final double clear of the class came from Italy’s Piergiorgio Bucci (Casallo Z), but a steadier round than the two prior faultless performers meant third place and handed victory to Kent.

“Creedance is a naturally fast horse and was flying out there, but I held my breath a bit when John went,” said Kent. “I grew up watching him and he is still just as good now as he was then.

“I’ve taken two big wins this week so I think I should get out of town quick!”

France’s Adeline Hecart prevented a home win too, this time for Robert Smith (Cimano E) in the Palm Accumulator. The 20-year-old pinched back 0.01sec from the Brit’s long-time target to steal her second Royal Windsor win in two years with Questions D’Orval.

“There weren’t really many places to make up extra time, so I think there was a bit of luck involved,” said Adeline, who won last year’s winning round competition with the 12-year-old mare.

A huge fan of the show, Adeline is delighted to be here during this special year.

“It is my favourite show in the world,” she said. “Last year, the atmosphere was amazing and the people who come here are so knowledgeable and appreciative of horses. But this year you can really feel that there is something more and sense how much people love The Queen and want to celebrate her birthday.”

ExellWith his magnificent four-in-hand warmbloods, reigning World Champion, Boyd Exell from Australia, drove to victory in the final phase of the Land Rover International Driving Grand Prix at Royal Windsor, reclaiming the win that has been his six times previously.

“We’ve been second for the last two years,” smiled a relieved Exell. “I lost it in the cones last year and I really did not want to do that again.” He added, “I’ve been trying out new combinations of horses in recent years but these ones have really gone well for me. They got me out of trouble in obstacle seven yesterday when we almost took a wrong turn.”

Exell was in first place as the final phase began, but the pressure mounted as the top drivers began recording double clear rounds. Four-time World Champion, Ijsbrand Chardon, was less than one cones penalty behind Exell and is usually exemplary in this section. However, uncharacteristically, he had two balls down which dropped him behind fellow countryman Koos de Ronde and German driver Christoph Sandmann and gave the current World Champion a bit of breathing space. He didn’t need it – he drove a sure and clean double clear to take his seventh Royal Windsor win.

The cones course was designed by experienced course designer, Richard Nicolls from the USA, and was described by competitors as ‘classic Nicolls’.

“They know that I design course that are flowing but technical,” he said. “There are changes of rein and various options but I don’t like mad dashes across the arena or a course that constantly doubles back on itself. It’s better for the drivers if the course flows and it is better for spectators too.”

Pony four-in-hands provided an even more nail-biting finale. Saturday’s marathon winner, Germany’s Michael Bugener, lying in third place overall attacked the course with vigour; it earned him a round that was clear on time but at the expense of 12 penalty points. In second place at this stage, Jan de Boer from the Netherlands drove confidently and steadily, also making the time but picking up just 3 penalties. In the lead, Vilmos Jambor jr from Hungary drove with some caution – he dropped behind on time, but more punishingly accrued 9 penalties. Jan de Boer and his Welsh Section As, therefore, claimed the win at Royal Windsor for the sixth time with Bugener and Jambor jr, both competing for the first time here, taking second and third.

“I’m particularly pleased with the new pony I have in the wheel,” said the delighted Dutchman, who last won here two years ago. “I felt I really had to look after him in the marathon, particularly in the first obstacles, as he is still inexperienced.”

In the Nations Cup competition, the Netherlands – Ijsbrand Chardon, Koos de Ronde and Theo Timmerman – never looked like relinquishing the first place they have held since the first day. Germany – Rainer Duen, Marieke Harm and Christoph Sandmann – also retained their second position throughout, but Belgium – Dries Degrieck and Edouard Simonet – overtook Australia for third place.

Working hunter ponies delighted a packed audience around the Frogmore arena this morning. One of the most popular winners was the 18-year-old 143cm grey gelding Carnsdale Caspar, owned by the Beaconsfield based Wrennall family, beautifully ridden by Katie Wrennall, 12. The still enthusiastic campaigner jumped one of only two clears over a demanding course.

Another game veteran, 16-year-old CJs Tonto, accounted for the 133cm division, but the section title went to Sophie Lawes and her 135cm bay mare Carnsdale Vanity Fair.

For full results, please click here.

For more information, please contact:
Gayle Telford
Revolution Sports + Entertainment
E: gayle@revolutionsports.co.uk T: +44 (0)207 592 1207

Further information can be found on www.rwhs.co.uk.

Driving, FEI, FEI

Voutaz Causes Swiss Sensation in Leipzig, but Exell Can’t Be Beaten

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Boyd Exell on his way to secure his fifth victory of this season. Photo: FEI/Karl-Heinz Frieler)

Leipzig (GER), 17 January 2016 – After an amazing competition in which all odds were open, Swiss driver Jérôme Voutaz caused a huge sensation by finishing second behind Boyd Exell (AUS) in the seventh and last Leg of the FEI World Cup™ Driving in Leipzig. The result saw Voutaz claim a last-minute qualifying spot for the Final in Bordeaux, France on 6 and 7 February.

Exell was in top form again in Leipzig where the crowd was simply amazing. Germany’s Dr. Wolfgang Asendorf had laid out a technical and fast course in which he ensured that the slippery bridge of the first competition on Friday evening was amended to secure the safety of the horses and the drivers. “I have watched the events that I didn’t attend on television, and I knew that the teams were all very fit. Eight out of the ten World Cup drivers competed here and I wanted to bring a bit more technicality into the course as well as speed to please the spectators,” said Asendorf.

Christian Ahlmann of the Driving

Exell flew through the course and put down two excellent clear rounds, securing his fifth win of this season. He has competed in six of the seven legs and has won five of them, which puts him in the box seat for Bordeaux. Exell is sometimes called the ‘Christian Ahlmann of the Driving’ as he wins very often, just like the Germany showjumping rider.

He won a Longines watch for the first time in his career today. “This is the first watch I have ever won in the 15 years that I am competing; I really happy with it!,” said the Australian who actually did not want to go so fast, but who said his horses forced him to.

“My horses accelerated so much; their speed was too high. I know from experience that I then better not interfere with them. Michael Freund always told me to let them run, but it does take years to get the confidence to do so from the start of the course,” Exell explained.

He gave his horses two weeks holiday after the last leg in Mechelen, Belgium and could feel that they were very fit again, both physically and mentally.

Clear goal

Jérôme Voutaz had a clear goal today. “I knew that I had a chance to enter the Top Six for the Final, but I never dreamt it would go like this. My goal in the first round was to drive fast and clear and I was very happy that it worked out, especially because it did not go so well for me in the first competition,” he said.

He drove his Swiss Freiberg horses very carefully in the first round, and qualified for the Winning Round with Exell and Germany’s Rainer Duen. So even before the winning round, Voutaz already knew he was qualified for the final, as Exell and Duen had wild cards and could not claim any points.

The difference between Voutaz and Duen was only 0,41 penalty points and Voutaz went for it, trying to put the pressure on the German. “Even though I knew I was in the Final already, I wanted to drive clear,” Voutaz said afterwards. The Swiss man, who is an amateur driver, left the arena with one knockdown, creating some more space for Duen.

Young team

Rainer Duen had already finished his World Cup season for points and competed in Leipzig with a wild card. The driver from Minden in Germany wanted to prove himself and went for it from the start. He nearly missed the Winning Round when he touched a ball on the last cones gate, but luckily the ball stayed on, much to the amusement and delight of the 7,500 spectators who witnessed the exciting competition.

In the Winning Round, Duen was unable to stay ahead of Voutaz when he knocked two balls down, but he was nevertheless pleased with his performance. “I am very happy, especially because this is a young team. One of my leader horses has not competed in World Cup competitions before this season, and I borrowed the wheeler horses. The first round went really well for me but I did feel the pressure in the Winning Round,” he admitted.

All about speed

Germany’s Michael Brauchle finished fourth today in the sold out arena at Partner Pferd. The reigning European Champion only had to finish in the first round to secure his starting ticket for the Final. Dutch driver Koos de Ronde came fifth, but as Leipzig was his fourth competition for points, this was his drop score and this did not affect his starting spot for the Final.

Hungary’s József Dobrovitz jr. had a fair chance to enter the Top Six but had one knockdown and was not fast enough so he dropped to the sixth place, which wasn’t sufficient to make the cut for the Final. Unfortunately both father and son József Dobrovitz will therefore not start in Bordeaux this year.

Third wild card driver, Germany’s Georg von Stein, finished seventh to clinch the sixth and last place for the Final. However, young Belgian driver Glenn Geerts finished eighth in Leipzig, and has not gathered enough points.

In the end, it was all about speed in Leipzig and this will be the case until 2023 as the Organizer signed an agreement with the Leipziger Messe to keep hosting the spectacular and immensely popular Driving competitions.

Results in detail can be viewed here.

The 2015/2016 FEI World Cup™ Driving series now moves on to the Final in Bordeaux (FRA) on Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 February 2016.

The FEI World Cup™ Driving competition in Bordeaux will be broadcast live on the FEI YouTube channel on Saturday 6 February and on FEI TV, the FEI’s official video platform, on Sunday 7 February.

For information on Bordeaux, go www.jumping-bordeaux.com or contact Press Officer Pascal Renauldon, p.renauldon@rbpresse.com, +33 608759407.

For more information on the FEI World Cup™ Driving, please check the FEI website.

By Cindy Timmer

FEI Media Contacts:

Ruth Grundy
Manager Press Relations
ruth.grundy@fei.org
+41 78 750 61 45

At Leipzig:
Press Officer
Kirsten Maier
info@equiwords.de
+49 151 424 300 65

*Featured/Spotlights, Driving, FEI

Boyd Exell Is the Master in Mechelen

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Boyd Exell (AUS) on his way to claim his fourth victory of this FEI World Cup™ Driving season in Mechelen (BEL). Photo: FEI/Dirk Caremans)

Mechelen (BEL), 31 December 2015 – After a thrilling competition on the last evening of the 35th edition of Jumping Mechelen (BEL), Boyd Exell (AUS) claimed his fourth FEI World Cup™ Driving victory of this season. The enthusiastic spectators witnessed a fantastic neck-to-neck competition with runner-up spot going to Koos de Ronde (NED), while Georg von Stein (GER) finished third and is therefore one step closer to a starting place for the Final.

International Level 4 Course Designer Jeroen Houterman (NED) had laid out a technical and fast course for the eight top drivers, which was very nice for the spectators to watch. They had flocked to the Nekkerhal in large numbers despite the late hour and were well-entertained with great sport.

Still pressure

The sixth leg of this season’s FEI World Cup™ Driving in Mechelen was Exell’s fourth and last competition for points, and although he already won three competitions and is in the lead with the maximum number of 30 points, the six-times World Cup Champion still felt the pressure.

In the first round, he showed what indoor driving is all about and drove his team of experienced horses faultlessly clear and fast through the course, putting the pressure on his Dutch opponents IJsbrand Chardon and Koos de Ronde.

Chardon lost precious seconds and knocked two balls down in the first marathon obstacle after his horses went into a wrong gate and he had to put them back. The four-times World Champion knew his chances of a place in the Winning Round were lost, but put his horses to the test and took a few shortcuts in the remaining part of the course, much to the joy of the crowd.

Koos de Ronde put down the fastest time, but gave Exell an advantage before the Winning Round by knocking one ball down.

Need for points

After the first round, the difference between the number three Georg von Stein and leader Boyd Exell was only four seconds, which resulted in a very exciting Winning Round.

First starter Von Stein really went for it on the shortened course, and was very pleased with his performance despite one knock down which saw him finish third. “I did not do very well in the first competition on the first day. I made the mistakes, not my horses. My goal in Mechelen was to qualify for the Winning Round. I really need the World Cup points in order to have a chance to qualify for the Final. It is the second time that I have been in the Winning Round in Mechelen, the very good atmosphere here certainly contributed to my performance!” he said.

Von Stein has now finished his season and is currently in fourth position in the standings with 13 points. It all depends on the results of the other drivers in Leipzig whether he will be able to maintain his position in the top six in order to qualify for the Final.

New combination

Koos de Ronde was one of the three wild card drivers in Mechelen and was aiming for the sixth win in his career in the Nekkerhal. De Ronde is already certain of the Final and used the competition in Mechelen to test a new combination of wheeler horses.

“It is the first time this season that I have used Bonusz and Palero in the wheel together and I am very happy with their performance. The incident in London Olympia (where some of his team of horses fell) has not affected my horses and me. The horses have a lot of experience and they were both competing here in Mechelen,” he explained.

Again he put down the fastest time in the Winning Round, but another knock down gave last starter Boyd Exell some more air.

Last cone gate

Exell knew his advantage over de Ronde was eight seconds, so his tactics were to drive steady. The Australian used up a little time at the start of the course but was still ahead of Dutchman. But Exell made the competition even more thrilling when he knocked a ball off the last cones gate, number 13, on his way to the finish.

“It certainly wasn’t the plan to hit that last cone, but luckily I still had some time advantage so it was ok in the end!” he said. With nearly three seconds difference, Exell won the FEI World Cup™ Driving leg for the second time in his career since 2011. Mechelen was his fourth and last competition for points. The three best results count towards qualification for the Final, so even though Exell got 10 points in Mechelen, he will stay on 30 points as he has to drop one of his four scores.

World Cup debut

The 26-year-old Edouard Simonet from Belgium made his World Cup debut in Mechelen and finished in a well-deserved fourth place behind Georg von Stein. Simonet acted as a back-stepper for Boyd Exell for many years and attended Mechelen in that function several times.

In 2013 he successfully took up the reins himself of the four-in-hand Arabo Friesians owned by Louis Groenen. Simonet finished 13th in the FEI World Cup™ Driving standings and moved up to 11th place after Weber and Sandmann pulled out. The driver from Neerpelt was thus very close to becoming one of the Top Ten drivers this season. He drove a team of Arabo Friesians and one Lipizzaner, previously owned and driven by Exell, which he put together 10 weeks months ago especially for the indoor season. If he had not had one knock down in the first round, he would have finished in the top three.

Mechelen was the second competition for European Champion Michael Brauchle (GER) and although his speed was fast enough, he lost some seconds in the marathon obstacles and had one ball down as well, which saw him finish on the fourth place. Brauchle is in fifth position in the standings but still has one more competition to go in Leipzig in January.

His compatriot Rainer Duen drove his third and last competition of this season in Mechelen and finished sixth, which unfortunately was not good enough to qualify for the Final. Third wild card driver Glenn Geerts took too much risk and went too fast, finishing eighth on his home soil. Glenn’s last start for points is also in Leipzig, after which the top six drivers for the Final will be announced.

Results in detail can be viewed here.

The 2015/2016 FEI World Cup™ Driving series now moves on to Leipzig (GER) on Sunday, 17 January 2016.

The FEI World Cup™ Driving competition in Leipzig will be broadcast live on FEI TV, the FEI’s official video platform, on 17 January at 11.50 hrs.

For information on Leipzig, go to www.partner-pferd.de or contact Press Officer Kirsten Maier, info@equiwords.de, +49 151 – 424 300 65.

For more information on the FEI World Cup™ Driving, please check the FEI website.

By Cindy Timmer

FEI Media Contacts:

Ruth Grundy
Manager Press Relations
ruth.grundy@fei.org
+41 78 750 61 45

At Mechelen:
Press Officer
Edith de Reys
edith.dereys@skynet.be
+32 475 659 281

Competitions, Driving, FEI

IJsbrand Chardon Beats Boyd Exell at London Olympia

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IJsbrand Chardon on his way to beating Boyd Exell at London Olympia. (Photo: FEI/Trevor Meeks)

London Olympia (GBR), 19 December 2015 – The Netherlands’ IJsbrand Chardon tonight succeeded in doing what all the drivers in the FEI World Cup™ Driving series are aiming to do. The four-time World Champion pipped the so-far-unbeatable Boyd Exell from Australia with two fast and faultless rounds in the electric atmosphere of the Grand Hall at Olympia in London (GBR). Exell, who competed with a wild card, finished second ahead of Koos de Ronde (NED) in third.

It is the third time that Chardon has won the leg in London, having previously been victorious in 2011 and 2013. And he performed very well throughout the three competition days, which included an extra competition on the first day that did not count for the World Cup.

By earning the 10 World Cup points, Chardon is now certain of a starting ticket for the Final in Bordeaux, France along with Exell and de Ronde.

From the largest to the smallest arena

Dutch Level 4 Course Designer Johan Jacobs was responsible for the course last week in the largest arena in Geneva, Switzerland and took up the challenge to design another exciting course in the smallest arena in the FEI World Cup™ Driving series in London Olympia, which worked out very well.

The spectators, who have become very knowledgeable over the past few years, very much enjoyed the performances of the seven drivers, and the atmosphere in the beautiful Olympia Hall was just amazing.

Grow in the competition

IJsbrand Chardon did not use his regular leader horse Aladin as he had a cough on arrival in England earlier this week. He replaced the gelding with the more experienced but tougher-to-drive Lipizzaner horse Inci who, however, had previous experience as part of the team. “I know that Inci has to grow in the competition, he just needs a bit of time. My horses felt super and I haven’t knocked any balls down for three days, which is brilliant,” Chardon said tonight.

He analysed both his own rounds and those of Exell on video after the first competition yesterday, and he subsequently decided to take a shorter route, which resulted in the second-fastest time, only one second behind Exell, who had a knock down. Chardon went into the Winning Round over an altered course with almost nine seconds of an advantage, but he still went for it. “I had a very safe feeling but I did drive at full speed. I knew I could have one knock down, and when I went clear the feeling was just great!” the winning driver said.

With his ticket to the final now in his pocket, and with one more competition to go in Mechelen (BEL) later this month, Chardon will try some alternate set-ups to his team in order to get the good feeling again for Bordeaux.

Not affect Christmas

Boyd Exell won the extra competition and the first competition and was last to go in the first round, where he set the fastest time. He was unfortunately plagued with team set-up problems and had one knock down, which put him into third position. After only a short break, he had to enter the arena again for the Winning Round and had no time to think about his tactics.

His plan to take a different route in one of the marathon type obstacles failed, he lost speed and rhythm and a ball fell, leaving the 2014 Olympia winner in runner-up spot at the end of the day.

“It is good for the sport that somebody else wins,” Exell said afterwards. “I am still pleased with my second place. I can’t expect to win all the time and I am for sure not going to let this ruin Christmas!” he added.

The last time Exell was beaten at an FEI World Cup™ Driving Leg was in Leipzig, Germany earlier this year, where Koos de Ronde was the strongest.

Exciting finish

The Dutch team gold medallist, de Ronde, has had his ups and downs this week. He finished sixth in the first competition after having made several changes in his team of horses. He actually made some changes during the warm-up session today as well, and finally re-found the right feeling.

He went for it in in the first round, knowing that his fellow competitors were all eager to make it to the Winning Round as well. He drove clear in a fast time, and only Chardon managed to beat him in the end. De Ronde was then unlucky again in the Winning Round where he had 20 penalty seconds added to his time after two knockdowns and rebuilding the course.

His unlucky run, however, wasn’t finished yet. De Ronde caused excitement when his left wheeler horse and left leader horse fell just after passing the finish line. “I passed the finish at high speed when my left horses fell. I got pulled off the carriage but my horses quickly got back on their feet and did not get injured,” the Dutchman explained afterwards.

Johan Jacobs stood in their way and grabbed the team quickly, and in the true spirit of this great sport Boyd Exell and some of the other competitors rushed into the arena to also see if they could do anything help. However, de Ronde presented his team in the prize-giving ceremony, showing the spectators that everything was fine with his four-legged friends.

Strong competition

The remaining four drivers pushed their teams of horses in a very strong competition, where the level was extremely high, including second wild card driver Dan Naprous from Great Britain.

Hungary’s József Dobrovitz drove a short route from gate 8 to 9, but the risk didn’t pay off when a ball fell. It cost him a place in the Winning Round and dropped him to fourth place in the final analysis.

London Olympia was Dobrovitz’ fourth and last competition of this series, and with just 12 points picked up so far it is very unlikely that he will make it to the Final. The goal of Germany’s Georg von Stein was to drive very fast so he could afford a ball, but he unfortunately came short over one second and had one ball. Von Stein has one more competition to go and is currently in fifth place in the standings.

After finishing third in the first competition, Glenn Geerts from Belgium was determined to equal this performance today, but he unfortunately had three knockdowns and finished sixth. Geerts will compete on home turf in Mechelen (BEL) with a wild card, and then in Leipzig where he will get his last chance to earn enough points to enter the Top Six.

Dan Naprous, who is a stuntman by profession and currently working on the film “Wonder Woman”, put down very good performances with his team of Lipizzaner horses. And although he is always disappointed to finish last, he also accepted that the world-class drivers in London were very hard to beat.

New look and feel

Johan Jacobs and the Organising Committee gave the obstacles on the course a bit of a make-over, which resulted in several obstacles shaped as Christmas gifts.

“We are keen to have our own obstacles with a different look and feel,” Show Director Simon Brooks-Ward said.

The bridge on the course was completely new, and the Olympia jumping obstacles were used as wings at the entrance and exit of the bridge. The standard orange cones were covered with green sleeves to add to the Christmas theme that makes this horse show such a hugely popular event at this time of year.

Results in detail can be viewed here.

The 2015/2016 FEI World Cup™ Driving series now moves on to Mechelen (BEL) on Wednesday, 30 December.

The FEI World Cup™ Driving competition in Mechelen will be broadcast live on FEI TV, the FEI’s official video platform, on 30 December at 21:50 hrs.

For information on Mechelen, go to www.jumping-mechelen.com or contact Press Officer Edith de Reys, edith.dereys@skynet.be, +32 475 659 281.

For more information on the FEI World Cup™ Driving, please check the FEI website.

By Cindy Timmer

Media Contacts:

At Olympia:

Jo Peck
Press Officer
JoPeck@hpower.co.uk
+44 1753 847 900

At FEI:

Ruth Grundy
Manager Press Relations
Email: ruth.grundy@fei.org
Tel: +41 787 506 145

*Featured/Spotlights, Driving, Show Jumping

It’s Sunshine All the Way in Alltech Puissance at Olympia

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Two riders fought all the way to share a thrilling Alltech Puissance at Olympia, The London International Horse Show, after both their horses jumped superbly over five rounds.

Jos Verlooy from Belgium and Germany’s Hilmar Meyer were the only two to make it through to the fifth round and shared the spoils – which were presented by HRH The Duchess of Cornwall, paying her annual visit to Olympia – after soaring over the famous wall at 2.15m (7ft 1in).

Meyer first came to Olympia a couple of years ago as a groom; now, on his first visit as a competitor, he is celebrating winning one of the most prestigious classes. His horse, the 13-year-old Continuo by Contendro, is a puissance specialist and has taken many classes in Europe.

“I’m very proud of my horse,” said Meyer. “It’s an unbelievable feeling jumping that high, but only with the right horse. It’s been great to ride here at Olympia; it’s such a great atmosphere.”
Unusually, Verlooy, 20, was using the class as a warm-up for the Longines FEI World Cup qualifier on Sunshine, a nine-year-old chestnut gelding. “I think that jumping a puissance can work well as a warm-up before a really big class,” he explained. “It was really exciting. I couldn’t believe how easily my horse jumped.”

Swiss rider Pius Schwizer riding Leonard de la Ferme CH, Victoria Gulliksen (Grand Balou), daughter of Norwegian Olympian and perennial Olympia visitor Geir Gulliksen, Ireland’s Trevor Breen on the dual Hickstead Derby winner Loughnatousa WB and last year’s runner-up, Karline De Branander from Belgium on her gallant mare Fantomas de Muze, all crashed out in the fourth round when the wall was 2.10m (6ft 11in).

ROBERT WHITAKER TURNS UP THE HEAT

Earlier in the evening there was a British one-two-three in the Porsche Cayenne Challenge, a speed class. The third last rider, Robert Whitaker, made an audacious turn to the water tray on Usa Today to grab the spoils by 0.15sec from William Funnell (Billy Angelo) and Laura Renwick (Heliodor Hybris).

“I’ve been coming to Olympia since I was a kid, watching my father [John], so it’s always fantastic to win,” said Robert. “Usa is not actually that fast, but he definitely likes the atmosphere.”

Drawn near the end of the starting order, Whitaker had spotted an opportunity earlier during the round of another of the challengers.

“Jos Verlooy (BEL) almost made it but it didn’t quite come off,” said Robert. “When I jumped the fence before the turn, USA Today landed in a way that gave me enough space to get the tight right-handed turn in.”

Robert pointed out that winning at Olympia, The London International Horse Show is particularly special for the world’s top riders.

“Everyone wants to win here, regardless of whether they are British or foreign riders,” he said.

Italian rider Emanuele Gaudiano was the first rider to chalk up an Olympia winner when taking the opening Santa Stakes on Caspar.

EXELL SETS THE BAR HIGH IN OLYMPIA’S EXTREME

In the Dodson & Horrell Top Score Extreme Carriage Driving competition, Australia’s Boyd Exell showed, yet again, why he is the current world horse four-in-hand champion, both indoors and out. His thundering round, in which he gave a dazzling performance of rein handling, through the course that featured two obstacles and a bridge, recorded a time some seven seconds faster than his fellow contestants.

Speaking after the competition, Exell remarked that his horses felt like ‘magic’ in his hands. “I had to constantly slow them down rather than urge them on,” he remarked. He was disappointed, though, to incur a five-second penalty when a ball fell. “It had felt like a clear round,” he said.

Today’s contest was a forerunner to the two qualifying legs of the FEI World Cup Driving, the first of which features tomorrow with the Final on Saturday evening. The Olympia crowd was treated to the thrilling spectacle of this competition – the finale of the afternoon performance – as each driver pushed their horses to their limits round the tight course. Exell’s closest challenger, Ijsbrand Chardon from the Netherlands – himself a previous World champion indoors and out, was the only competitor to drive clear. Seven seconds slower than Exell, however, meant the Australian claimed the crown by a less than two second margin. Jozsef Dobrovitz from Hungary, driving at Olympia for the first time, was third.

To view the full results, click HERE.

For more information, please contact Gayle Telford, Revolution Sports + Entertainment
E: gayle@revolutionsports.co.uk T: +44(0)778 757 6490 or +44(0)207 592 1207

Olympia, The London International Horse Show
The first international horse show took place in the Olympia halls in 1907. Olympia, The London International Horse Show, the event we see today, was started by Raymond Brooks-Ward in 1971. This year’s show takes place on 15-21 December 2015 in the Olympia Exhibition Hall, located in West Kensington London. The show will play host to a packed timetable of all things equestrian and is expected to welcome over 90,000 visitors. It is regarded as one of Europe’s oldest and most prestigious equine competitions. The show mixes top class equestrian action, including FEI World Cup™ Jumping, Dressage and Driving with family entertainment, such as the Osborne Refrigerators Shetland Pony Grand National and The Kennel Club Dog Agility.

Competitions, Driving, FEI

Exell Wins FEI World Cup Driving in Geneva for the Eighth Time

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Boyd Exell. (FEI/Eric Knoll)

Geneva (SUI), 13 December 2015 – Reigning FEI World Cup™ champion, Boyd Exell from Australia, won the FEI World Cup™ Driving Leg in Geneva for the eighth time in his career this morning. He finished over 11 seconds faster than runner up Sébastien Mourier from France who competed with a wild card, while Dutch driver, Koos de Ronde, claimed the third place.

Dutch Level 4 Course Designer Johan Jacobs laid out a long course in the largest indoor arena in the world. The track consisted of a spectacular water splash, a bridge, three marathon obstacles and several cones, and despite the early morning start, the tribunes were filled with enthusiastic spectators who enjoyed the skills of the eight drivers performing at the 55th edition of the CHI Geneva.

Third win in a row

Boyd Exell proved to be in top form once again at the Swiss venue, where the drivers felt very much at home. Exell has a tremendous record at the Palexpo Exhibition Hall in Geneva where he won his second FEI World Cup™ title in 2010, and where he has been victorious at every leg of the FEI World Cup™ Driving in which he has competed.

He put down a very fast round and was six seconds faster than during the First Competition on Saturday afternoon, despite one knock down. Before going into the Winning Round, which took place over a shortened course, he had an advantage of 16 seconds over Mourier. But the six-time FEI World Cup Champion just let his horses go and drove them smooth and fast through the course, securing his third win in a row for this season.

“I had two knock downs today and that was me interfering with my horses; I was trying to be too careful,” Exell explained afterwards. “I never underestimate the other competitors and I always feel pressure before the drive-off because I know how quickly you can go from hero to zero,” he wisely added.

With 30 points, Boyd is in the lead on the series rankings and has already secured his ticket for the Final in Bordeaux (FRA) on 6 and 7 February.

Magnificent round

Geneva was only the second-ever World Cup experience for French driver Sébastien Mourier, who had received one of the three wild cards for Geneva. Mourier competed with a wild card earlier this year in the FEI World Cup™ Driving Final in Bordeaux, where he finished sixth.

The Frenchman drove his beautifully turned out team of grey mixed warm-blood horses fast through the course, staying ahead of the more experienced drivers. Mourier qualified for the Winning Round where he had two knock downs, but by setting the fastest time he secured his second place. “I had never driven a Winning Round before, so I did not know how my horses would respond, especially in this long course. But it went very well; they were a bit tired in the end but they did a fantastic job. I am very grateful to them,” he said.

Mourier prepared for this World Cup competition in the same way as for the outdoor marathons. “After my disappointing results at the European Championships in Aachen where I had a problem with one horse, I was luckily able to use that same horse again here, as it has fully recovered. I have not done any special training and it was amazing to be here. I now hope to receive a wild card again for the Final in Bordeaux,” he said with a laugh.

Long course

Since Mourier competed with a wild card, third-placed driver Koos de Ronde will receive seven points, putting the bronze medallist at the European Championships 2015 into the third spot in the current rankings.

De Ronde had changed two horses compared to his last start in Madrid (ESP). “I have six horses at my disposal for my indoor team and because of the long course in this large arena I choose to use two other horses,” said the Dutchman who put down the only clear round of the competition in the first round today.

“In the Winning Round I drove a little too safe,” he explained. “And I had a knock down as well so I punished myself twice. I should have taken more risk, but that’s the game. I found the course very long, especially in the Winning Round. I think it would have been more exciting if one of the obstacles had been taken out,” he added.

Geneva -> London

Both Exell and De Ronde will compete in the fifth leg of the FEI World Cup™ Driving series at London Olympia (GBR) next week, but they both feel this will not affect their horses. “We all know that December is a busy month with many World Cup competitions,” said De Ronde today. “Everybody is well prepared and the horses are all fit,” he added.

Father and son, József and József Jr. Dobrovitz, finished in fourth and fifth place today. Their leader horses lacked the necessary speed in order to keep up with the fast times of their fellow competitors. Dobrovitz Senior will also compete at London Olympia next week, where he will use one of Boyd Exell’s horses to spare one of his own.

Wild cards

Jerome Voutaz received the wild card in Geneva in 2013 and 2014 and is this season part of the series. Voutaz selected Geneva to compete for points instead of asking for a wild card in order to allow his Swiss compatriots, Werner Ulrich and Cyril Maret, to compete in the Palexpo as well, with wild cards. Voutaz felt less pressure than during his first competition abroad in Madrid last month, but felt the disadvantage of the long course in Geneva. “My horses turn very fast in the obstacles, but they lose speed in the length of the course. But I gave everything and I am very pleased with my horses,” he said today.

The most experienced wild card driver, Werner Ulrich, finished seventh, assisted by his daughter Laura and son Stefan on the carriage. Ulrich competed for the eleventh time in Geneva this year and put a new outdoor leader horse to the test.

Local hero, Cyril Maret, received the wild card in Geneva 2014 as well and finished in eighth place today. Maret’s first performance in Geneva was in 2000 when he performed in a show with an Hungarian post – standing on the backs of two horses while driving three more horses in front.

Results in detail can be viewed here.

The 2015/2016 FEI World Cup™ Driving series now moves on to London Olympia (GBR) on Saturday, 19 December.

The FEI World Cup™ Driving competition in London Olympia will be broadcast live on FEI TV, the FEI’s official video platform, on 18 December at 13:20 hrs. and 19 December at 19:35 hr.

For information on London Olympia, go to www.olympiahorseshow.com or contact Press Officer Jo Peck, jopeck@hpower.co.uk, + 44 1753 847 900.

For more information on the FEI World Cup™ Driving, please check the FEI website.

By Cindy Timmer

FEI Media Contacts:

Ruth Grundy
Manager Press Relations
ruth.grundy@fei.org
+41 78 750 61 45

At Geneva:
Corinne Druey
Press Officer
druey@syntagme-lausanne.ch
+41 21 312 82 22

*Featured/Spotlights, Dressage, Driving, Show Jumping

Three World Number Ones under One Roof at Olympia, the London International Horse Show

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The world’s best riders, including three FEI world no. 1s in Dressage, Show Jumping and Carriage Driving, have announced they will be descending upon the capital to compete at Olympia, the London International Horse Show which takes place from 15-21 December.

Show Jumping sensation Scott Brash will be making a rare competitive appearance in the UK along with Team GBR Dressage legend Charlotte Dujardin and Carriage Driving’s unstoppable Boyd Exell, who will head up the first-rate quality of competitors taking part over the seven days at London’s premier horse show.

SHOW JUMPING

Once again, the world’s top-class show jumpers will gravitate to the Olympia Exhibition Halls to compete at the UK’s biggest indoor equestrian show and wow fans with unforgettable competition. A collection of the world’s top 10 riders are among the entries along with the top British riders in attendance, including British world no.1 Scott Brash.

The talented Scotsman, and Team GBR gold medal hopeful for Rio next year, has had an incredible 2015 and hopes to end it on a high at Olympia: “I love Olympia. The atmosphere is always great and the home crowd always cheers me so I’m looking forward to that. I don’t often get the chance to ride in front of home fans as there aren’t many five star events in Britain so it’s always nice to come home and compete in front of the home crowd.”

Brash will face fierce competition with some of the biggest international names in the sport confirmed, including an incredibly formidable team of German riders: Daniel Deusser, Marcus Ehning, Ludger Beerbaum and Hans-Dieter Dreher.

From across the pond top French riders Simon Delestre and Kevin Staut will be hoping to continue their 2015 success at Olympia. European Team Champions, Maikel van der Vleuten (NED) and Jur Vrieling (NED), will also be returning to the famous arena, whilst world number six, Bertram Allen, will be hungry for a victory to end the year on.

The best of the British will be out in force much to the delight of the home crowd, including Olympia’s favourite family, the Whitakers, with John, Michael, Robert and William all confirmed and armed with a strong team of horses. Former world no.1 Ben Maher will be hoping to defend his Olympia Grand Prix title, bringing with him a solid selection of horses, including Diva II. Young rising star, Jessica Mendoza, will be the one to watch hoping to round off a stellar year with a win at Olympia. Joe Clee, Laura Renwick and Guy Williams will complete the impressive line-up.

Show Jumping takes place during every performance from Thursday 17 December to Monday 21 December. Highlights include the Alltech Olympia Puissance on Thursday 17 December, the Longines FEI World Cup™ Leg presented by H&M on Sunday 20 December, and the Olympia Grand Prix on Monday 21 December.

DRESSAGE

The Reem Acra FEI World Cup™ Dressage, supported by Horse & Hound, which takes place on the first and second day of Olympia, welcomes a star-studded line-up. Returning this year is the current world, Olympic and European champion, Charlotte Dujardin, who will be hoping to retain her unbeaten record at the event.

Joining Dujardin is crowd favourite Carl Hester upon his noble partner Nip Tuck, with whom he helped the team to score a silver medal at the European Championships earlier this year. With a career spanning over three decades, Hester is arguably one of the greatest dressage riders the world has seen and will be hoping to produce a shining performance under the bright lights of the Olympia arena. Fiona Bigwood, Henriette Andersen and Lara Griffith will complete the British line-up.

Leading the international contingent is one of The Netherlands’ best riders, Hans Peter Minderhoud, on his chestnut gelding Glock’s Flirt. Individual Bronze medallist at this year’s European Championships, Minderhoud will be joined by fellow Dutchmen, Diederik van Silfhout, both of whom will certainly provide stiff competition for the British riders.

DRIVING

A total of seven of the world’s leading four-in-hand drivers will set the arena alight in what promises to be a flurry of nail biting competitions on Thursday 17 and Friday 18 December, with the Final taking place on Saturday 19 December.

Defending champion, Boyd Exell (AUS), who has won the FEI World Cup Driving Championship title a record six times, will be hoping to repeat last year’s success where he drove an unimpeachable round to win by a four-second margin.

Ranked second and fourth from the outdoor season are Dutch competitors, Ijsbrand Chardon and Koos de Ronde, both of whom have competed at the show each year since 2011. Chardon has been at the top of world four-in-hand driving longer than any other driver currently on the circuit and his tally of medals is correspondingly larger; most recently he was on the gold medal winning team at last year’s WEG and this year’s European championships where he claimed second place individually. Just pipped to the post by Exell in 2014, he will be hungry for the win this year. De Ronde is also serially successful, having been a team member with Chardon over several years; he was third in the 2015 European Championships.

Jozsef Dobrovitz snr (HUN), ranked third in the world, is making his Olympia debut. Georg von Stein (GER) and Glen Geerts (BEL) will be looking to make the mark on the competition, and flying the flag for Great Britain is Daniel Naprous, lead member of the Devil’s Horsemen Stunt Team, who emerged victorious from the three events staged in the autumn to be selected as the home driver. He will be bringing the daring, precision and skill of his display and film work to driving a four-in-hand.

For more information, please visit the website at www.olympiahorseshow.com.

For more information or imagery, please contact Gayle Telford, Revolution Sports + Entertainment
E: gayle@revolutionsports.co.uk or T: +44 (0)207 592 1207

Olympia, The London International Horse Show
The first international horse show took place in the Olympia halls in 1907. Olympia, The London International Horse Show, the event we see today, was started by Raymond Brooks-Ward in 1971. This year’s show takes place on 15-21 December 2015 in the Olympia Exhibition Hall, located in West Kensington London. The show will play host to a packed timetable of all things equestrian and is expected to welcome over 90,000 visitors. It is regarded as one of Europe’s oldest and most prestigious equine competitions. The show mixes top class equestrian action, including FEI World Cup™ Jumping, Dressage and Driving with family entertainment, such as the Osborne Refrigerators Shetland Pony Grand National and The Kennel Club Dog Agility.

Competitions, Driving, FEI

Exell Claims Second Win in a Row at Inaugural FEI World Cup Driving Leg in Madrid

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Boyd Exell. (FEI/Hervé Bonnaud)

Madrid (ESP), 29 November 2015 – Boyd Exell claimed his second win in a row with victory at the inaugural edition of FEI World Cup™ Driving in Madrid (ESP) tonight, where Koos de Ronde (NED) finished second ahead of Swiss driver Jérôme Voutaz in third. Last weekend Exell also came out on top in the first leg of the new series at Stuttgart (GER), and today’s repeat success suggests the 43-year-old Australian is well on target for his fifth consecutive series title.

Madrid Horse Week hosted FEI World Cup™ Legs in Jumping, Driving and Vaulting this weekend, and the organisers were very pleased with the popularity of the Driving at the International Feria de Madrid (IFEMA).

The experienced German course designer Dr. Wolfgang Asendorf laid out a technical course for the seven competitors representing seven different nations. The wonderful atmosphere in the arena and the enthusiastic spectators contributed to the success of this first big Driving event at the Spanish fixture.

Snow or Sun

For Boyd Exell the choice to compete in Madrid or in Stockholm (SWE), which also hosted an FEI World Cup™ Driving leg today, was easy. “I could choose between sun and snow,” Exell said with a smile, “and I chose the sun! I also chose Madrid because of the good relationship I have with four-in-hand driver Ernesto Colman Mena (URU) who is the sponsor of this leg and Juan Real Garcia (ESP).”

No shame

Exell put down a magical first round and steered his four warmblood horses through a powerful and fast tour of the course, leaving all balls on the obstacles. He was some eight seconds faster than the fastest competitor so far, Jérôme Voutaz. Both of them qualified for the Winning Round, as well as Koos de Ronde.

Voutaz unfortunately knocked two balls down, and gave second starter De Ronde some breathing space. The bronze medallist of the FEI European Championships in Aachen went for it, but already had one knock down at the start of the course. The remainder of his drive he kept clear and he was happy with his second place behind Exell. “It is nothing to be ashamed of to finish second behind Boyd. My time in the winning round was nearly as fast as Boyd’s, so I am convinced one of us will manage to beat him this season!” the Dutch driver said.

Spinning horses

Exell, however, did not have his best Winning Round. His left leader horse nearly tripped twice because of the loose footing, and in the first marathon obstacle the reigning World Cup Champion lost a few seconds when his horses kept spinning. “Two gates were taken out in the winning round and one was in an obstacle. My horses knew that from the three rounds before, and they were spinning,” explains Exell. “But I saw it coming early and was able to minimise the mistake and the time loss,” he added.

Panic

Jérôme Voutaz is a newcomer in the series this season. He competed before with a wild card in Geneva (SUI) and he opened his season in Madrid. “I panicked a bit,” said the sympathetic driver who is a car mechanic by profession. “The first night my horses were not waiting for me and I made too many driving mistakes myself as well. The arena in Geneva was so different. Everything is new for me here; I have watched videos of previous World Cup events to prepare myself, but it is not easy to compete against Boyd and the other competitors,” said the Swiss man who was, nevertheless, pleased with his results in Madrid.

Rainer Duen (GER), who was third at the first leg in Stuttgart, drove a nice clear round, but just came one second short to finish before Voutaz in the first round and finished fourth tonight. Belgium’s Glenn Geerts did the same at his first competition of this season and had to be satisfied with fifth place.

Wild cards

Both Colman Mena and Real Garcia competed with a wild card, and for both of them it was their first ever indoor driving experience.

They were both very happy and pleased to compete in such atmosphere. “I think this is a great opportunity for Spanish people to get to know carriage driving as a competition sport,” Garcia said.

Exell trains both four-in-hand drivers and was pleased with their performances. “They improved a lot during the competition. They did a very good job, especially Juan who had to prepare two teams, for both Ernesto and for himself.”

Results in detail can be viewed here.

The 2015/2016 FEI World Cup™ Driving series now moves on to Geneva (SUI) on Sunday, 13 December.

The FEI World Cup™ Driving competition in Geneva will be broadcast live on FEI TV, the FEI’s official video platform, at 10.30 CET (local time in Geneva, GMT+1 hour).

For information on Geneva, go to www.chi-geneve.ch or contact Press Officer Corinne Druey, druey@syntagme-lausanne.ch, +41 21 312 82 22.

For more information on FEI World Cup™ Driving, please check the FEI website.

By Cindy Timmer

Media Contacts:

At Madrid:

Alejandra Cámara
Press Officer
a.camara@madridhorseweek.com
+34 609 915 944

At FEI:

Ruth Grundy
Manager Press Relations
Email: ruth.grundy@fei.org
Tel: +41 787 506 145

Competitions, Driving, FEI

Exell in a Class of His Own at FEI World Cup Driving Season-Opener in Stuttgart

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Australia’s Boyd Exell picked up where he left off last season when the defending FEI World Cup™ Driving champion cruised to victory with his Four-in-Hand team at the first leg of the 2015/2016 series at Stuttgart, Germany today. Photo: (FEI/Karl-Heinz Frieler)

Stuttgart (GER), 21 November 2015 – Defending champion, Australia’s Boyd Exell, proved to be in a class of his own once again in the opening competition of the 15th season of the FEI World Cup™ Driving series in Stuttgart, Germany today. He put down two faultless clear rounds and won easily ahead of IJsbrand Chardon (NED) and Rainer Duen (GER). This was Exell’s fifth career victory in the Stuttgart leg of the series.

The Schleyer Halle in Stuttgart was filled with enthusiastic and knowledgeable spectators who enjoyed the top performances of the six Four-In-Hand drivers in the fast, at some points technical and horse-friendly course designed by Germany’s Dr. Wolfgang Asendorf.

Boyd’s team

Exell, who was recently presented with the prestigious ‘Reem Acra Best Athlete’ title during the FEI General Assembly in Puerto Rico, used a new leader horse in his experienced team. “This is the first time I used the 15-year-old bay Lipizzaner Whiskey at a World Cup competition. I tested him two weeks ago at an indoor competition in the Netherlands,” he explained.

“Clinton and Lucky were my wheeler horses. I haven’t used Lucky for two years; he was part of my team when I won my first World Cup title in Gothenburg in 2009. I have a new wheeler horse at home, but I thought it was better not to use two new horses at the same competition. I had a new navigator her today, and I felt secure with my experienced back stepper Hugh, who allowed me to go at top speed!” he added.

Too fast

Exell was one size too big for his opponents in Stuttgart. IJsbrand Chardon drove his team of Lipizzaner horses and one Dutch warm-blood horse, with which he has competed last season as well. The four-time World Champion had one knock-down in the first round but was fast enough to qualify for the Winning Round, which took place over a shortened course.

After knocking one ball in the first marathon obstacle, Chardon put the throttle down even further but made another mistake which cost him precious seconds. The second knock-down gave last starter, Exell, even more of an advantage.

“I tried everything, but I went too fast and made mistakes. I should have concentrated more on Duen than on Exell,” admitted Chardon afterwards. “Boyd Exell was simply the best, and you just can’t afford to make any mistakes. But my Four-In-Hand went well, and they gave me a good feeling,” he said.

Bombastic

Rainer Duen’s last FEI World Cup™ start was in Leipzig (GER) in 2012, and today was his first ever start in the Schleyer Halle.

“Stuttgart is simply bombastic – what an atmosphere!” he said. The driver from Minden put his indoor team of horses to the test at two competitions in the Netherlands and was very happy with his performance today.

“This is only the third competition for my left leader, so I am very pleased. The first round went very well, the second round went less well, but I am the one with the least experienced horses here so I don’t complain.”

Duen owns the two small, pony-type leader horses, which he purchased especially for the indoor competitions. The wheeler horses and his spare horse are kindly lent to him by their owners Carl Holzum and Jürgen Weber. Duen also uses one of them in his outdoor team.

Duen drove a clear first round and qualified for the Winning Round after his compatriots Georg von Stein and Michael Brauchle made mistakes.

Georg von Stein finished on the fourth place, ahead of reigning European Champion Michael Brauchle, who had received a wild card from the Stuttgart Organising Committee.

Young horses

Hungary’s József Dobrovitz had a disappointing start today. He used young horses in his team and had two knock-downs in the first part of the course. When he lost precious seconds after missing out on gate six and had to drive an extra circle, he knew that his chances for a high placing were gone.

Results in detail can be viewed here.

The 2015/2016 FEI World Cup™ Driving series now moves on to Madrid (ESP) and Stockholm (SWE) on Sunday, 29 November.

The FEI World Cup™ Driving competition in Madrid will be broadcast live on FEI TV, the FEI’s official video platform, at 19.00 CET (local time in Spain, GMT+1 hour).

The FEI World Cup™ Driving competition in Stockholm will be broadcast live on FEI TV, the FEI’s official video platform, at 20.30 CET (local time in Sweden, GMT+1 hour).

For information on Madrid, go to www.madridhorseweek.com or contact Press Officer Alejandra Cámara Claver, a.camara@madridhorseweek.com.

For information on Stockholm, go to http://www.swedenhorseshow.se/english/news/ or contact Press Officer Lotta Amnestal, Lotta.Amnestal@ridsport.se, + 46 709 79 56 35.

For more information on FEI World Cup™ Driving, please check the FEI website.

By Cindy Timmer

FEI Media Contacts:

Ruth Grundy
Manager Press Relations
Email: ruth.grundy@fei.org
Tel: +41 787 506 145

At Stuttgart:

Hartmut Binder
hartmut.binder@mps-agentur.de
+49 172 972 2848