Tag Archives: Boyd Exell

*Featured/Spotlights, Driving, Pony, Show Jumping

Super Saturday at Royal Windsor Horse Show

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Laura Kraut.

May 16 2015 – The sun shone on super Saturday as more than 10,000 spectators were wowed by another fantastic day of competition and equestrian displays. World-class showjumpers, including Ben Maher, Laura Kraut and Peter Charles, battled it out in CS13* classes. The marathon phase of the Land Rover International Driving Grand Prix proved to be popular as ever as it drew in hordes of fans ready to witness the drivers masterfully steer their course through a combination of obstacles.

SHOWJUMPING: LAURA KRAUT CLAIMS HER WINDSOR FIRST

Despite winning two national classes earlier this week, and having been a regular visitor for many years, an international win at Royal Windsor Horse Show had eluded Laura Kraut. But, in front of a packed crown, the former Olympic Gold Medallist changed that today by taking top place in the Kingdom of Bahrain Stakes for the King’s Cup.

With a midway draw in the 10-strong jump-off, Laura produced a superbly quick round and held the lead by a huge margin of over five seconds from Britain’s Robert Smith [Bavi].

“It was a fun round to ride,” said Laura. “She [Nouvelle] has been unlucky with injuries and sickness – and after investigation, she was found to have cysts on her ovaries [which have now been treated].

“She’s now much happier and I am so pleased for her owners [Evita Group]. It’s also really nice to give [my other top horse] Cedric a bit of a break.”

France’s Adeline Hécart also secured her first Royal Windsor Horse Show win during her first visit to the event. She did it in fine style in the Falcon Stakes riding Question d’Orval.

“The show is amazing,” she said. “Everything is organised with the horse in mind and the ground and atmosphere are so good. I really hope I can come here again.”

The USA’s Emily Moffitt and HHS Fafa continued their run of good form at Windsor by securing a second win of the week, this time in the Martin Collins Enterprises Speed Stakes.

Boyd Exell
Boyd Exell

DRIVING: EXELL LEADS THE PACK

The battle for the lead in the Land Rover International Driving Grand Prix was a dramatically contested one through the second phase – the cross-country marathon. With less than 1.5 penalties separating the top three competitors at this stage – 2014 winner Chester Weber from the USA, six times winner Boyd Exell from Australia, and five times winner Ijsbrand Chardon from the Netherlands – meant they pushed their horses and themselves to the limit, mindful that fractions of a second in an obstacle could make a difference. New obstacle timings were constantly being recorded, only to be replaced by the next driver storming through.

Going in reverse order of placing, Chardon threw down the gauntlet with a blistering, fluently driven round that certainly ensured he kept his third place at this stage. Exell, however, gave no quarter – driving cleanly and with breathtaking precision he recorded the fastest time in six of the obstacles. Chardon drove with exemplary skill and care but was unable, in the main, to match the times of the other two.

The results as they go into the final cone driving phase tomorrow are Exell in first place, 4 penalties ahead of Weber. Chardon is in third place, less than 2 penalties behind Weber. Exell will be hoping to clinch his seventh win in the Land Rover International Driving Grand Prix tomorrow, which will put him just one behind Great Britain’s legendary driver, George Bowman, who is still competing here.

The smaller field of pony four-in-hands saw the overnight winner, Holland’s Bram Chardon – son of Ijsbrand – increase his lead with a stunning win in the marathon. Impressing the crowd with his immaculate rein-handling, he has a 20-penalty lead over his closest challenger Tinne Bax from Belgium. Sara Howe from Great Britain drove a good marathon to put her in sixth place overall.

SHOWING: FAMILY FORTUNES IN MOUNTAIN AND MOORLAND WORKING HUNTER PONY

ponyBrother and sister Charlie and Tori Oakes from Uttoxeter, Staffordshire pulled off a remarkable feat with one taking the mountain and moorland working hunter pony championship and the other being awarded the reserve. Tori, 23, claimed the top spot riding her 7-year-old highland gelding, Cairns Fergus, while younger brother Charlie, 13, won his class and was reserve with the Countess of Shrewsbury’s homebred welsh section B gelding, Chetwynd Caspar.

The show pony championship, one of the most prestigious on the circuit, took place in front of a capacity crowd who clearly enjoyed the sight of Britain’s finest animals. The title went to North Somerset based Lucile Bywater with Broadgrove Only You, an 8-year-old 138cm campaigner, bred and owned by her grandmother Ann Fowler.

Sunday Highlights

Tomorrow promises to be an action-packed finals day which will ensure the Royal Windsor Horse Show 2015 will go out on a high. The hotly anticipated CSI3* Alltech Grand Prix will feature a number of the top British riders hoping for victory on home soil and the Land Rover International Driving Grand Prix will no doubt draw to a climax with the top drivers in the world battling it out for first place.

Once again there will be a feast of equine entertainment taking place throughout Sunday with performances carrying on into the early evening, including the Musical Ride of The Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment and the Musical Drive of The King’s Troop, Royal Horse Artillery.

For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit www.rwhs.co.uk.

For more information, please contact Hollie Bostock, Revolution Sports + Entertainment
E: hollie@revolutionsports.co.uk, T: +44 207 592 1207.

Royal Windsor Horse Show takes place on 13-17 May 2015. Over 50,000 visitors are expected to attend the 72nd year of the Royal Windsor Horse Show which offers its audience astounding displays in the main Castle Arena, such as The Musical Ride from the Household Calvary and The King’s Troop Musical Drive, the DAKS Pony Club Mounted Games and The Shetland Pony Grand National. As well as the equestrian competitions and activities, there are over 230 shops in the Shopping Village, with a wide range of goods for sale, from jewellery and fashion, to food and drink. HM The Queen has attended every year since it started in 1943 and it is the only time of the year that the private grounds of Windsor Castle are open to the public. Royal Windsor Horse Show is organised by HPower Group, also organisers of Olympia, The London International Horse Show www.hpower.co.uk.

Royal Windsor Horse Show’s official charity is the ABF Soldiers Charity. The show was first set up in 1943 by King George VI in order to raise funds for the war effort and has ever since continued to donate thousands of pounds to veterans and serving soldiers in need of help.

*Featured/Spotlights, Driving, FEI

Exell Writes History with a Record Sixth Win

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Boyd Exell on his way to a historic sixth victory in the FEI World Cup™ Driving Final at Bordeaux (FRA) today. (Pierre Costabadie/FEI)

Bordeaux (FRA), 8 February 2015 – Title defender Boyd Exell (AUS) wrote history this afternoon in the dramatic FEI World Cup™ Driving Final in Bordeaux (FRA). Christoph Sandmann (GER) finished second, ahead of Exell’s biggest opponent, IJsbrand Chardon (NED). The Australian won the FEI World Cup™ Driving champion title for the sixth time, once more than the previous record holder Germany’s Michael Freund.

It was a three-man Winning Round. After Christoph Sandmann and Boyd Exell had driven theirs, IJsbrand Chardon entered the arena with his special indoor team. The Dutch held an advantage of approximately three seconds over Exell and flew through the course, determined to win the coveted title which has eluded him since 2006. Unfortunately however his carriage lost balance in the left turn and Chardon had to make a correction. This caused his right leader horse to come out and spectacularly jump over the start/finish element. As Chardon had come too close to the next marathon type obstacle, he could no longer correct the situation and went through the wrong gate. He had no other choice except to retire.

Boyd Exell drove two wonderful clear rounds in full concentration and put the pressure on last man Chardon. Exell was especially pleased with his right wheeler horse, the 25-year-old Carrington Park Ajax affectionately called Junior, who has now been retired from the sport. Junior has been part of Exell’s team at every FEI World Cup™ Driving competition. He thanked the exceptional gelding by escorting him out of the arena, walking beside him while his navigator Michelle drove the team.

Christoph Sandmann was very pleased with his second place. The multiple German champion and organiser of a CAI3* at his home in Lähden did not take any risks in the first round and went full speed in the Winning Round, knowing he had nothing to lose since the difference between him and the two leading drivers was too big. His clever tactics resulted in a wonderful third place for the experienced driver, who had not competed in Bordeaux since the series’ first season in 2002.

Fredrik Persson (SWE) finished in fourth place, ahead of Koos de Ronde (NED), wildcard driver Sébastien Mourier (FRA), and Georg von Stein (GER).

Quotes:

Boyd Exell (AUS): “Once we got in our zone, it felt like the old winning wheel again. Because of my injured hand, I had to sharpen the bit settings and I could not play with them as much as I would have liked to. Poker, who is only seven, was a true member of our team today but the highlight for me really was the retirement of Junior. I am so thrilled for him and so happy he finished his career with a win.”

Christoph Sandmann (GER): “I am very happy with my second place. I did not compete in the World Cup last season and I had a special indoor team for this season with which I am very pleased.”

IJsbrand Chardon (NED): “I was very fast and I believe I was even five seconds ahead of Exell when fate struck again. I feel terrible that this has happened; I really wanted to win. But this is the game and I accept it.”

Official results

YouTube content: http://youtu.be/w3dn-MoiMnU.

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

By Cindy Timmer

Media contact:

Malina Gueorguiev
Manager Press Relations
malina.gueorguiev@fei.org
+41 78 750 61 33

*Featured/Spotlights, Driving, FEI

Exell Extraordinary Again at London Olympia

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Australia’s Boyd Exell claimed his fourth win of the FEI World Cup™ Driving season with victory at London Olympia (GBR) tonight. (Trevor Meeks/FEI)

London (GBR), 21 December 2014 – Boyd Exell (AUS) put down an extraordinary performance again to win his fourth consecutive FEI World Cup™ Driving competition of this season at London Olympia (GBR). Exell had already won at Stuttgart, Stockholm and last week in Geneva, where he competed with three borrowed horses to spare his own team for his wild card start in London. The Australian’s biggest opponent IJsbrand Chardon (NED) finished second, while Sweden’s Fredrik Persson drove very steadily for third.

It was the first time this season that the three favourites – Boyd Exell and Dutchmen IJsbrand Chardon and Koos de Ronde had competed against each other. Dutch level 4 course designer Johan Jacobs had laid out a very good course with fast and technical elements, which remained exciting until the very last moment. All drivers were extremely happy with the event in Olympia, for which the tickets were sold out five weeks in advance. The stands were full with enthusiastic fans, who supported the drivers throughout the whole competition.

Regular team
Exell drove his regular team of horses at London Olympia and admitted he could have been a bit more accurate in the first round, where one of his leader horses knocked a ball off one of the cones. But his speed in the second round, which ran over the same course, was unbelievable and Exell flew round the arena, leaving all elements in place, to secure his fourth win of this season.

Risk-free rounds
IJsbrand Chardon, last to go in the Winning Round, had driven a new leader horse in the two previous classes in Olympia, but decided to take no risks and put his experienced leader horse in for the FEI World Cup™ competition. The four-time individual World Champion gave everything he had and drove a clear round, but was unable to beat Exell’s time to slot into second place. As Exell was competing with a wild card and was therefore not entitled to points, the 10 points went to Chardon, moving him up to second in the standings behind Exell. Both top drivers have already secured their ticket for the Final in Bordeaux.

Confident
While Exell, Chardon and de Ronde fought it out, it was Fredrik Persson who used tactics and a steady pace to claim the third place in the Winning Round. Persson drove his team of old horses, the youngest at 17 years old, clear and at good speed through the course. In the Winning Round the driving teacher from Sweden’s National Stud, Flyinge, took a bit too much risk and knocked three balls down in the last phase of the competition, but he was still happy with his performance.

Fine-tuning
Koos de Ronde competed with the same team of horses that he steered to victory in the FEI World Cup™ Driving competition in Budapest (HUN). The team gold medallist from the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ in Normandy (FRA) put down the second fastest time in the first round, but three knockdowns prevented him from getting into the Winning Round. De Ronde is aware that his new team still needs some time for fine-tuning.

Lack of speed
Young driver Glenn Geerts (BEL) started off in flying form at London Olympia by winning the first class, which did not count for the FEI World Cup™. But he was unable to get his special indoor team of Lipizzaner horses into the right speed in the qualifier to finish fifth ahead of bronze individual medallist in Caen Theo Timmerman (NED). Timmerman, who will move to a new yard in Varsseveld in the Netherlands next month, swapped his leader horses around, but didn’t have the necessary speed in the marathon type obstacles and came sixth.

Film horses
Daniel Naprous (GBR) earned the second wild card by winning the British indoor qualifiers at Merrist Wood, Bury Farm and the British Masters at Addington Manor. The 37-year-old stuntman previously had a wild card at Olympia in 2012. Boyd Exell kindly lent Naprous a bay leader horse for his indoor team at Olympia, which was made up of two of his film horses and an older outdoor horse. Naprous really enjoyed competing in Olympia and was pleased despite the fact that he had no front brakes on his carriage during his round. This resulted in four knockdowns and a seventh-place finish.

Quotes
Boyd Exell (AUS): “This indoor team is going to become like my old and famous indoor team with Bill. They have got the top line speed that Bill brought to my team. I’ve just got to have a bit more accuracy and a bit more reliability. The second round I could drive safe and fast whilst in the first round I fumbled a few loops. I didn’t give them their best ride, but they got me out of trouble. The second round I gave them a good ride and they operated.”

IJsbrand Chardon (NED): “I could not go any faster with this team in order to stay clear. Today’s competition was very important for me; I needed the World Cup points so that is why I decided to use my experienced leader horse again. At the moment it is very difficult to win from Boyd. I gave everything I had and I am now in the Final so I can test my new leader horse at my last competition in Leipzig.”

Fredrik Persson (SWE): “I tried to stay clean in the first round and I was lucky that I did. In the Winning Round I took some risk and had several knockdowns, but I am still very happy. The feeling in the arena at Olympia is amazing, the spectators are fantastic, they really help you by creating such a great atmosphere. The feeling is in the air.”

Results in detail can be viewed here.

Video
Watch Boyd Exell’s round on FEI TV.

Audio
Listen to Boyd Exell (AUS) talking about his win.

The 2014/2015 FEI World Cup™ Driving series now moves on to Mechelen (BEL) on Tuesday, 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 CET.

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.

By Cindy Timmer

Media contact:
Malina Gueorguiev
Manager Press Relations
malina.gueorguiev@fei.org
+41 78 750 61 33

At London Olympia:
Jo Peck
jopeck@hpower.co.uk
+ 44 1753 847 900

*Featured/Spotlights, Driving, FEI

Exell Scores Third Win of the Season in Switzerland

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Boyd Exell (AUS) secured his third FEI World Cup™ Driving win of the season in Geneva (SUI) over the weekend. Photo: Karl-Heinz Frieler/FEI.

Geneva (SUI), 15 December 2014 – Reigning world and FEI World Cup™ Driving champion Boyd Exell (AUS) won his third consecutive series event of the season in Geneva (SUI) yesterday. Exell drove to victory an alternative team of horses in the Palexpo arena ahead of the very strong wildcard driver Jérôme Voutaz (SUI) and Christoph Sandmann (GER).

Enthusiastic fans
Home driver Jérôme Voutaz drove an efficient first round and was seven seconds faster than Exell in the first competition on Friday. In the second competition on Sunday the Australian top driver was four seconds faster than Voutaz. This put him in the lead before the Winning Round for which Christoph Sandmann had qualified as well. Sandmann took every risk he could and had three knockdowns, which put him in third place.

Cheered by many fans from his hometown, the Swiss four-in-hand champion 2013 did his best with his team of fast Freiberger horses. He crossed the finish line recording a fast time but knocking down two balls, which gave Exell some air.

Boyd started off fast but had a ball down in the first half of the course, designed by Dutch level 4 course designer Johan Jacobs, much to the excitement of the enthusiastic spectators. Exell had however learned a lot from the previous two nights and pushed his new team towards a record time, securing his third consecutive FEI World Cup™ Driving win of the season and his seventh in Geneva.

B-Team
Exell has been successful in Stuttgart (GER) and Stockholm (SWE) this season and will compete with a wildcard in London Olympia (GBR) this week. The competitions follow week after week and this busy schedule proved to be too much for the horses. He agreed with fellow driver Daniel Schneiders (GER), who competed with a wildcard on home ground in Stuttgart in November, to use the German’s indoor team in Geneva. Exell used three of Schneiders’ horses and a wheeler horse that belongs to him.

Change of plans
Christoph Sandmann was pleasantly surprised with his results in Geneva. The multiple German champion and world championship medal winner scored seven World Cup points for his third place in Geneva since Voutaz was a wild card driver. Sandmann is currently second on the standings and has a fair chance to remain in the top six and qualify for the Final. He will compete again in Mechelen (BEL) and is now considering a change of plan to start making preparations for the series Final in Bordeaux.

Expensive mistakes
József Dobrovitz (HUN) made an expensive mistake by taking a short turn on the course and knocking down a ball from an obstacle, which he had already passed, which cost him a place in the Winning Round. Dobrovitz finished fourth with his team of Lipizzaner horses and has one remaining competition in Leipzig (GER). The Hungarian driver is currently in fifth place on the standings.

Georg von Stein (GER) was well on his way to a good performance but lost precious seconds at the last water gate, which made him drop to fifth place ahead of Werner Ulrich (SUI).

Wildcards
Young Swiss driver Cyril Maret competed for the first time in the FEI World Cup™ Driving in the impressively large arena in Geneva and enjoyed his debut very much. The farrier by profession drove his team of Swiss, Hungarian and Dutch horses to the seventh place. Maret, who lives very close to Geneva, was thrilled to compete in his first year as an international four-in-hand driver.

Benjamin Aillaud (FRA) is a regular wildcard driver in Geneva. Aillaud competed with his team of black Dutch and French horses but had several knockdowns and finished in eight place.

Quotes

Boyd Exell (AUS): “This team of horses is already very good; I just had to get used to them. I train with Daniel but there is a big difference between training and competing with horses. I got to know them better every day and I am very pleased with their performance. Also for Daniel!”

Jérôme Voutaz (SUI): “It was my second time as a wildcard driver in Geneva and it was an incredible experience. My horses did very well and the fans were amazing. They actually felt like the fifth horse to me; they really made me stronger. It is difficult to get close to Boyd, but he has been very helpful to me. He gave me a tip on the first night and that also helped me today.”

Christoph Sandmann (GER): “My team gets better with every competition. I had planned that Mechelen would be my last World Cup competition, but now it looks like as I might qualify for the Final and I have to change my plans.”

Results in detail can be viewed here.

The 2014/2015 FEI World Cup™ Driving series now moves on to London Olympia (GBR) on Saturday, 20 December.

The FEI World Cup™ Driving competition in London Olympia will be broadcast live on FEI TV, the FEI’s official video platform, on 20 December at 20.05 CET.

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

By Cindy Timmer

Media Contacts:

FEI:
Malina Gueorguiev
Manager Press Relations
malina.gueorguiev@fei.org
+41 78 750 61 33

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

*Featured/Spotlights, Dressage, Driving, Show Jumping

Outstanding Line-Up as Olympia Close to Sell Out

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Charlotte Dujardin. Photos: Kit Houghton/Hpower.

8 December 2014 – An exceptional line-up of equestrian athletes are set to compete at this year’s Olympia, The London International Horse Show which takes place on 16-22 December, including the three FEI World No. 1s in Dressage, Show Jumping and Carriage Driving.

The definite entries, which were published today, reveal Dressage supremo Charlotte Dujardin, Show Jumping sensation Scott Brash, and Australian Driving legend Boyd Exell will head the incredible quality of competitors during the week-long event. In addition, seven out of the Top 10 Longines FEI World Ranked Show Jumpers will also compete at London’s premier horse show.

This year, organisers have seen the fastest ever sale of tickets, with 11 out of the 12 performances sold out before the doors even open on Tuesday 16 December.

Show Director Simon Brooks-Ward said: “As well as maintaining the Olympia tradition of staging family entertainment in the build-up to Christmas, our challenge has always been to put on world class sport, and the fact that we now stage three FEI World Cups™ clearly shows how far Olympia has developed over the years. When you add three World No. 1 competitors to this mix – Charlotte Dujardin, Scott Brash and Boyd Exell – it provides a compelling proposition.”

DRESSAGE

Charlotte Dujardin will compete Valegro in front of a UK audience for the first time this year in the Reem Acra FEI World Cup™ Dressage Leg supported by Horse & Hound which takes place on the first and second day of Olympia. Dujardin has had a momentous year since smashing the world record in freestyle at last year’s Olympia, by adding the FEI World Cup™ Finals and the World Championship titles to her already impressive collection of achievements. She was recently announced on the shortlist for BBC Sports Personality of the Year.

Joining Dujardin at Olympia will be her mentor and GBR team mate Carl Hester who will be riding 10-year-old gelding, Nip Tuck on whom he won Team Silver at the World Equestrian Games. Completing the British line-up are Spencer Wilton, making his Olympia debut with his exciting new ride Numberto, Nikki Crisp with her own mare Pasoa and Hannah Biggs with stallion Weltzin.

Dutch riders Edward Gal and Danielle Heijkoop, who were placed second and third respectively behind Dujardin last year, are confirmed to compete again this year with the same horses, Glock’s Undercover and Kingsley Siro N.O.P.

There are several exciting riders making their Olympia debuts this year. These include Germany’s Jessica von Bredow-Werndl, who was star of Junior and Young riders and twice German Champion. The 28-year-old broke into the highest senior level competition with the stallion who she rides at Olympia, Unee BB. The pair was seventh in the FEI World Cup Final in April and they have since won their last three competitions. Fellow German, Sonke Rothenberger, is also confirmed to compete at Olympia for the first time. The 20-year-old business student won Team Gold at the European Young Riders and was seventh in his World Cup debut in Odense this year. Completing the German line-up is Dorothee Schneider, who was part of the German team to take Team Silver at London 2012. Schneider makes her Olympia debut on Silvano 71. Spain’s Morgan Barbanςon Mestre, aged 22, will make his first Olympia appearance with Anky van Grunsven’s former ride, Painted Black. The pair was placed 10th at the FEI World Cup Finals and 15th at the World Equestrian Games this year.

SHOW JUMPING

Seven of the Top 10 riders in the Longines FEI World Rankings are among the definite entries for the five-star Show Jumping at Olympia, including World No.1, Scott Brash.

The Scotsman, who has now held the top spot for over twelve months, will be joined by some of the biggest international names in the sport, including an incredibly strong team of German riders. This includes Ludger Beerbaum, Daniel Deusser and Marcus Ehning, who are three, four and five in the world rankings respectively. Three times FEI World Cup Final winner, Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum, also competes for Germany.

Dutch riders, Maikel van der Vleuten and Jur Vrieling, who were part of the team who won Team Gold at the World Equestrian Games this year, are both on the confirmed list. Regular Olympia visitor, Pénélope Leprevost (FRA), is on the list and is joined by her French teammates, Kevin Staut and Patrice Delaveau, who won Team Silver at the World Championships. New kid on the block 19-year-old Bertram Allen (IRL) will compete with the mare that propelled him into the limelight at the World Equestrian Games this year, Molly Malone V.

John Whitaker
John Whitaker

It would not be Olympia without the Whitaker dynasty competing en masse and this year Michael, John, Robert and William are all confirmed to ride with a team of top horses. The youngest, William, is currently in remarkable form, having won the fifth leg of the Longines FEI World Cup series in Stuttgart in November. The UK’s No.1 female rider Laura Renwick returns to defend her H&M Leading Rider title which she scooped in 2013 and last year’s Olympia Grand Prix winner Ben Maher brings a strong team of horses, including Puissance specialist, Noctambule Courcelle. Tim Gredley, Spencer Roe, and Guy Williams complete the British line-up.

Last year’s Olympia Christmas Puissance winner, Luca Moneta (ITA), will return to the capital to defend his crown, but will face strong competition from Puissance specialists, Jean-Christophe De Grande and Karline De Brabander, both from Belgium, and Irish riders David Simpson and Liam O’Meara. British rider Joe Clayton, who shared the Puissance victory at the Horse of the Year Show in October with David Simpson, also lines up for the nail-biting high jump competition.

Show Jumping takes place during every performance from Thursday 18 December to Monday 22 December. Highlights include the Alltech Olympia Puissance on Thursday 18 December, the Longines FEI World Cup™ Leg on Sunday 21 December, and the Olympia Grand Prix on Monday 22 December.

DRIVING

Current World Champion, Boyd Exell (AUS), and last year’s Olympia winner, IJsbrand Chardon (NED), head the quality line-up for the FEI World Cup™ Driving Leg presented by Dodson & Horrell.

A total of seven of the world’s leading four-in-hand drivers will attempt to manoeuver their horses in the fastest time round the twists and turns of the Olympia arena on Thursday 18 and Friday 19 December, with the Final taking place on Saturday 20 December.

IJsbrand Chardon
IJsbrand Chardon

Triumphant from winning the gold medal at the World Equestrian Games in Normandy in August, in-form Boyd Exell will be bringing his usual masterly rein-handling skills and split-second timing which always thrills the Olympia crowd. Last year’s Olympia winner, IJsbrand Chardon, himself many times World Champion, will no doubt be looking to defend his title, but Chardon will face strong competition also from his fellow countrymen Theo Timmerman and Koos de Ronde. Together these three took the Team Gold medal at this year’s WEG with Timmerman claiming Individual Bronze.

Representing Great Britain as a wild card is Daniel Naprous, who previously competed at Olympia in 2012. Naprous, who combines his sport of carriage driving with a successful career in stunt riding and driving, will have the support of the home crowd as the only Brit competing in the competition. Completing the competitive line-up are Fredrik Persson (SWE) and Glenn Geerts (BEL), both highly accomplished and successful four-in-hand drivers.

For more information and to purchase tickets online, visit the website at www.olympiahorseshow.com or telephone the box office on 0871 230 5580.

For more information, please contact Hannah Grissell hannah@revolutionsports.co.uk or +44 (0)207 592 1207

Olympia will broadcast live on BBC2 on Sunday 21 December and available to view on Eurosport, the BBC Red Button, online and connected TV on Wednesday 17, Thursday 18 and Monday 22 December. In addition a special highlights program will be aired on BBC2 on Tuesday 23 December at 13:45.

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 16-22 December 2014 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 which raises money for Great Ormond Street Hospital and The Kennel Club Dog Agility. The show’s official charity for 2014 is The Injured Jockeys Fund.

*Featured/Spotlights, Driving, FEI

Exell Scores a Second Success in Stockholm

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Boyd Exell (AUS) won his second FEI World Cup™ Driving competition of the season at the Sweden International Horse Show in Stockholm last night. Photo: Roland Thunholm/FEI.

Stockholm (SWE), 30 November 2014 – Reigning FEI World Cup™ and world champion Boyd Exell (AUS) won the third leg of the FEI World Cup™ Driving held in Stockholm (SWE) last night leaving home driver Fredrik Persson and young Belgian Glenn Geerts behind.

The new Friends Arena in Stockholm was packed with enthusiastic equestrian fans. It was the first time that the Sweden International Horse Show, previously known as the Stockholm International Horse Show, took place in this multifunctional arena located just outside of Sweden’s capital city.

International course designer Dan Henriksson (SWE) had built a challenging course in the arena which is much bigger compared to the Globen one where the show was held previously. This resulted in a longer course featuring three marathon type obstacles, the regular cones and a bridge where fireworks went off as the drivers crossed it.

Day off

Exell’s leader horses were not used to the day off between the first competition and the World Cup competition and were very fresh in the arena. The Australian was second to last to start and he knew that his big opponent Tomas Eriksson (SWE), who would be the last driver in the arena, would go for it, so Exell went at full speed. The result was two knockdowns but a very fast time. Eriksson made some mistakes as well and did not qualify for the Winning Round. This took the pressure off Exell, who decided to change his routes. He set the fastest times of the evening in the Winning Round and won with a respectable 17-second advantage over Persson.

Trained by the Master

Exell has been helping Persson with his marathon driving skills since the summer and the training paid off indoors as well. The Swede drove his team of older horses – the youngest being 17 – smooth and fast through the course and was very pleased with their performance.

Unexpected

Young Glenn Geerts did not expect at all to make it to the Winning Round as he was convinced that Tomas Eriksson would score a very good result. The Belgian had to quickly reset himself in the warm-up arena to prepare for the Winning Round, which he drove very well. After Stuttgart, Geerts changed the setup in his four-in-hand by moving a horse from the wheel to the lead and the other way around. He trained with this new setup for three days between Stuttgart and Stockholm and had already noticed the difference in the first competition last Friday.

Farewell to a driving icon

The successful Swedish international four-in-hand driver Tomas Eriksson competed for the last time on home ground in Stockholm. Eriksson announced earlier this year his intention to retire and Stockholm was a fitting venue for his last FEI competition. The double world champion, 17-time Swedish champion, and winner of many key international driving events had received the wildcard from the organising committee. Eriksson won the first competition but because of a mistake in the World Cup round he finished in fourth place.

“I went too fast and at this level you cannot afford any mistakes. I am happy about my decision to retire from competition,” the Swedish driver said. “Being in the arena made it easier to say goodbye. I will for sure miss the competitions and I will of course keep following the driving sport,” he pointed out.

Eriksson was honoured in the arena after the prize giving ceremony.

First time

Both Werner Ulrich (SUI) and Theo Timmerman (NED) drove their first FEI World Cup™ Driving competition of the season in Stockholm. Ulrich finished in fifth place, while 2014 individual bronze medallist Timmerman had some problems with his new team of Lipizzan horses and finished sixth.

Quotes

Boyd Exell (AUS): “The course was hard work; it was very technical and we had no chance for a break. It was a good fight tonight and all the horses were fresh because of the day off. Both Fredrik and Glenn did a great job in the Winning Round.”

Fredrik Persson (SWE): “I am using my old horses and the adjustments I made to this team with Boyd’s help worked very well. I have to keep cool as well. I am looking forward to the next competition at London Olympia where I will be competing with the same team. It is good that we have more than two weeks to rest because the old boys need a good life between the competitions!”

Glenn Geerts (BEL): “I am the youngest World Cup driver this season. I have known the other drivers since I was a young boy helping my grandfather who was an international four-in-hand driver as well. These gentlemen actually taught me how to drive and it is fantastic that I can now compete against them.”

The detailed results are available here.

The detailed standings are available here.

The 2014/2015 FEI World Cup™ Driving series now moves on to Geneva (SUI) on Sunday, 14 December.

The FEI World Cup™ Driving competition in Geneva will be broadcast live on FEI TV, the FEI’s official video platform, on 14 December at 10.35 CET (local time in Switzerland, 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.

By Cindy Timmer

Media contact:

Malina Gueorguiev
Manager Press Relations
malina.gueorguiev@fei.org
+41 78 750 61 33

At Stockholm:

Lotta Amnestal
lotta.amnestal@ridsport.se
+46 709 795 635

*Featured/Spotlights, Driving, FEI

Exell Is the Super Star in Stuttgart

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Reigning FEI World Cup™ Driving champion Boyd Exell (AUS) won the first FEI World Cup™ Driving qualifier of the 2014-2015 season held as part of the Stuttgart German Masters. Photo: Karl-Heinz Frieler/FEI.

Stuttgart (GER), 22 November 2014 – Reigning FEI World Cup™ Driving champion Boyd Exell (AUS) won the series first qualifier of the season in the packed Schleyer Halle in Stuttgart (GER) after performing two thrilling rounds. IJsbrand Chardon (NED) was the runner up while third place was claimed by home driver Christoph Sandmann.

Too confident

Exell drove his very fast bay team, including his new leader horse Poker, to the top place in the first round and recorded a very fast time. Poker and the left leader horse Bajnok are Lipizzaners by the same sire.

The Australian was however a little too confident and went too fast in one of the marathon type obstacles knocking a ball down with the leader bars. Fortunately this did not endanger the leading position he had secured after the first round.

New team

His opponent Chardon competed with his experienced team of Lipizzaner horses and was two seconds faster, but the four-time world champion had three knockdowns, which almost cost him a starting place in the Winning Round. Wildcard driver Daniel Schneiders (GER) also made three mistakes and was slower than Chardon, which caused him to drop to seventh place.

Germany’s Christoph Sandmann had put together a special indoor team consisting of two horses from the retired German four-in-hand driver Christian Plücker, a horse borrowed from Georg von Stein and a young horse from his daughter Anna, who was also his navigator today. Sandmann tested this team for the first time last weekend at a national indoor Driving event in the Netherlands. Today he drove a steady and clear first round and qualified for the Winning Round.

Chardon was first to go in the Winning Round, which took place over a shortened course, designed by 4* Course Designer Dr Wolfgang Asendorf (GER). All the drivers praised the fast and technical course, which proved very attractive for the knowledgeable Stuttgart crowd. Chardon drove a fantastic fast and clear round, which Sandmann was unable to equal despite the help from daughter Anna, who gave the team her voice given that her father had lost his due to a cold.

Exell demonstrated great skills and led his team in full speed over the course, cheered all along by the enthusiastic spectators. He was faster than Chardon winning with a nine-second advantage, which made him the super star in Stuttgart. This is the fourth time that the Australian has been crowned as ‘German Master’ in the Schleyer Halle.

Lipizzaner love

Exell and Chardon are not the only ones to compete with the fast Lipizzaner horses during the indoor season. József Dobrovitz (HUN) drove his team of grey Lipizzaners to the fourth place and was followed by wildcard driver Georg von Stein (GER), who competed for the first time with two new bay Lipizzaner horses in the lead. Newcomer Glenn Geerts (BEL) has put together a complete indoor team of four grey Lipizzaners. Geerts drove a steady clear round and finished in sixth place. Second wildcard driver Daniel Schneiders had a good start on the first competition day and was a good candidate for the Winning Round, but the German Master 2013 had three knockdowns and finished seventh.

Quotes

Boyd Exell (AUS): “Today’s standard was very high, everybody drove well. I am pleased with my new leader horse Poker; I have to get to know him though. I have had him since Aachen and all I have done with him is dressage training. It will take me all season to find out how I can drive him best, but it already looks as if he could be a potential new Bill, my best leader ever who died last year.”

IJsbrand Chardon (NED): “This competition was the first one with my experienced horses. I have been testing new horses at national indoor driving events and was surprised and a little disappointed by the mistakes they made. But I know how good they are. I just have to keep calm and continue training with them at home. I have a good feeling and I am sure they will be better next time.”

Christoph Sandmann (GER): “Last year I turned down the wildcard in Stuttgart and this year I realised what I had missed. The spectators in Stuttgart are the best in the world and it is just fantastic to drive here. I think I will be able to get close to my opponents with this team in the next shows.”

The complete results can be viewed here.

The FEI World Cup™ Driving 2014/2015 series now moves on to Stockholm (SWE) and Budapest (HUN) on Sunday, 30 November.

The FEI World Cup™ Driving competition in Stockholm will be broadcast live on FEI TV, the FEI’s official video platform, at 20.15 CET (local time in Sweden, GMT+1 hour).

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 information on Budapest, go to http://www.lovasvilagkupa.hu/index.php?lang=en or contact Press Officer Csaba Peterfi, cs.peterfi@gmail.com, +36 203479443.

For more information on FEI World Cup™ Driving, please check the FEI website and the series’ comprehensive press kit.

YouTube content:

Winning driver Boyd Exell (AUS) talks about the first qualifier of the FEI World Cup™ Driving 2014-2015: http://youtu.be/QnYV-0pJBIs.

By Cindy Timmer

Media contacts:

At FEI:

Malina Gueorguiev
Manager Press Relations
malina.gueorguiev@fei.org
+41 78 750 61 33

At Stuttgart:

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

Championships, Competitions, Driving, World Equestrian Games

Boyd Exell Is Crowned World Champion for Third Consecutive Time

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Pictured from left to right are silver medallist Chester Weber (USA); gold medallist and world champion Boyd Exell (AUS); bronze medallist Theo Timmerman (NED). (Marie de Ronde-Oudemans/FEI)

Normandy (FRA), 7 September 2014 – Boyd Exell (AUS) kept a clear head in the exciting final obstacle driving competition of the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2014 in Normandy and scored a fabulous clear round, securing a third world championship title in a row. Chester Weber (USA) won the silver and European champion Theo Timmerman (NED) took the bronze medal. The Dutch team won the nations competition for the fourth consecutive time, followed by Germany and Hungary.

O-Course Designer Richard Nicoll had laid out a superb course at the La Prairie racetrack in Caen, in which nine of the 46 four-in-hand drivers managed to stay clear. The top nine after dressage and marathon did not change after the cones competition which attracted some 3,000 spectators.

Excitement grew as the competition reached the Top Ten. The German drivers all had one knockdown, but this did not jeopardise their silver team medal.

Fourth-placed driver IJsbrand Chardon (NED) drove a clear round and put compatriot Theo Timmerman under pressure. Timmerman only had a 0,5 penalty point advantage to Chardon and knew that he had to go clear to secure his bronze medal.

“I drove calmly through the first part of the course, but after gate 17, I suddenly realised that it was going to happen!” Timmerman said. “It was difficult to keep it together during the last part of the course, but it worked. I am also very pleased with the gold team medal. Koos de Ronde and IJsbrand Chardon did a great job today. I did not have to worry about the team results; I could concentrate on myself. It always feels good to win!” he concluded.

Young father Chester Weber was the penultimate starter. As he was just 2,77 penalty points behind Exell, Weber was determined to put the pressure on the Australian and drove a double clear round. “I am overjoyed with my silver medal,” he commented. “My horses were great today; it was a great fight with Boyd. I believe I have one of the best cones teams in the world and they did a super job. The course was measured really fair.”

Exell entered the arena knowing he had to stay clear in order to retain the world title. As the true horseman that he is, the Australian driver relied on his skills and managed not to make any mistakes.

“It was a huge relief,” he commented. “We had a good show throughout the weekend, but not a perfect show. The cones went really well for me although the arena was moving a lot. I knew Chester would have a clear round because he has been driving clear rounds all season. He has the best cones team and I expected this already. It is great to be the world champion again and I would like to thank my entire team for their great support.”

Exell will be moving to the Netherlands by the end of the year.

33-year-old Jiri Nesvacil jr., member of the Czech team with his brother Radek and his father Jiri sr., was the first competitor of the morning to score a double clear round. Jiri jr. and his team are trained by Theo Timmerman since the start of this season and the training obviously paid off.

French team driver Thibault Coudry won this final phase of the competition with a clear round and the fastest time. Wilf Bowman-Ripley (GBR) finished second, ahead of Timmerman and Exell. Young Belgian driver Edouard Simonet, a former Team Exell member, also drove a clear round with his lovely team of Arabo Friesian horses. Simonet, who is the younger brother of the French chef d’equipe Quentin Simonet, celebrated his 25th birthday on Friday. The youngest competitor in the field, 22-year-old Jozsef Dobrovitz jr., contributed to the Hungarian bronze team’s medal by driving clear as well.

Complete results here.

By Cindy Timmer

Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2014

The Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2014 in Normandy (FRA) on 23 August – 7 September brings together close to 1,000 riders and 1,000 horses from 74 nations for 15 days of world-class competition in Jumping, Dressage and Para-Equestrian Dressage, Eventing, Driving, Endurance, Vaulting and Reining.

For more information, see: www.normandy2014.com.

History Hub

The FEI World Equestrian Games™ are held every four years in the middle of the Olympic and Paralympic cycle. They were first hosted in Stockholm (SWE) in 1990 and have since been staged in The Hague (NED) in 1994, Rome (ITA) in 1998, Jerez (ESP) in 2002, and Aachen (GER) in 2006. The first Games to be organised outside Europe were the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ in Kentucky (USA) 2010.

Visit the FEI History Hub here.

Media contacts:

Grania Willis
Director Media Relations
Grania.willis@fei.org
+41 78 750 61 42

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

Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2014 Organising Committee:

Amélie Patrux
Press Officer
presse@normandie2014.com

*Featured/Spotlights, Driving, FEI

Boyd Is Best in Breathtaking Bordeaux Finale

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Boyd Exell (AUS) won the FEI World Cup Driving Final 2014 held at Bordeaux (FRA) for the fifth time in his career. Photo Rinaldo de Craen/FEI.

Bordeaux (FRA), 9 February 2014 – Boyd Exell (AUS) has claimed the FEI World Cup Driving champion title for the fifth time in his career in a thrilling finale held in the sold-out Expo centre in Bordeaux (FRA). It was not an easy victory for the Australian who won the neck-to-neck race only 0.69 seconds ahead of rookie Daniel Schneiders (GER). Title defender Koos de Ronde (NED) finished third.

The Final in Bordeaux was very exciting but also saw some unexpected developments today. Just two hours before the start of the second competition on Sunday afternoon, overnight leader IJsbrand Chardon (NED) took the difficult decision to withdraw on the advice of his vet.

“It was a tough decision,” Chardon explained. “This afternoon we received a letter in the stables informing us that several jumping horses had developed fever and we were advised to regularly take the temperature of our horses. Two of my Lipizzaners had temperature and the veterinarian advised me not to start in today’s competition. I am of course following his advice for the welfare of my horses.”

After European and Dutch national champion Theo Timmerman made a mistake in the first obstacle and had several knockdowns and Tomas Eriksson (SWE) was eliminated for driving the course in the wrong direction, Koos de Ronde, Boyd Exell and Daniel Schneiders battled it out on the fast course created by world championship course designer Gábor Fintha (HUN).

Exell had to make up 4.17 seconds and was steadily on his way to success driving his mixed team of bay horses. In the last phase of the competition he had a hairy moment when his leaders turned in front of obstacle 11. The double world champion pulled so hard to get them in the right direction that he lost balance. Luckily the Australian managed to stay in the carriage and moved on without losing any speed. Daniel Schneiders drove a very fast yet safe first round after which the difference between him and Exell had decreased to 1.46 seconds in Schneiders’ favour going into the winning round.

Boyd Exell was the first to go and set the fastest time of the evening without taking any unnecessary risks. This increased the pressure on Schneiders whose dream to finish in the top three had already come true. The 32-year-old farrier knew that he could not afford any mistakes and made a last-minute decision to cut a corner on the course after he realised he was three seconds behind Exell. Heading to the finishing line, it looked as if the newcomer was going to make it, but he missed the title by just 0.69 seconds.

Koos de Ronde had already had a knockdown in the first round and when he had a ball down in the winning round, he knew the third place in this year’s Final was the best he could hope for with his team in which three horses were different compared to last year when he had won the FEI World Cup Driving Final.

Wildcard driver Thibault Coudry (FRA) was eliminated during the first competition on Saturday evening and competed as a guinea pig in today’s Final.

Quotes

Boyd Exell (AUS): “I have just returned from a six-week holiday with good friends in Australia and I knew it was a disadvantage for me to come back at this level. Last year I paid the price; this year my horses saved me. I am really delighted for my sister and my mother, who follow me from Australia. This win is really for them. I must say that it would have been nice to win with a fair fight; it is a shame IJsbrand could not compete.”

Daniel Schneiders (GER): “It has really been a dream come true to be able to make it to the Final after my first FEI World Cup Driving season. My goal was to finish in the top three and to be so close to Boyd in second place is just amazing. I really enjoyed Bordeaux with its great atmosphere for the horses and the drivers. I owe many thanks to my team, including my brother Dennis who is a competition driver himself. They are behind me and I appreciate that they take holidays to help me all the time. My goal for the outdoor season is to qualify again for the FEI World Cup Driving. I hope my new team will be ready in time to achieve this goal.”

Koos de Ronde (NED): “It is of course a pity to lose the title, but my performance today was the best I could achieve. I have had some problems with my horses this season and I used a new horse in the wheel in Bordeaux, who got a bit excited. Today we were just not good enough and didn’t manage to put on a better performance. But next season will be a new season with new chances which I am already looking forward to.”

Official results

YouTube: http://youtu.be/I2p5cW0PbIs

For more information on FEI World Cup Driving, please check the FEI website and the series’ comprehensive press kit.

By Cindy Timmer

Media Contacts:

At Bordeaux:

Pascal Renauldon
p.renauldon@rbpresse.com
+33608759407

At FEI:

Malina Gueorguiev
Manager Press Relations
malina.gueorguiev@fei.org
+41 78 750 61 33

Competitions, Driving, FEI

Boyd Exell Secures Ticket for Bordeaux Final with Victory in Geneva

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Australia’s Boyd Exell proved unbeatable in the FEI World Cup Driving at Geneva (SUI) to earn his ticket to the Final in Bordeaux (FRA) next February. (Rinaldo de Craen/FEI)

Geneva (SUI), 15 December 2013 – Four-time FEI World Cup Driving Champion Boyd Exell (AUS) has secured his ticket for the FEI World Cup Driving Final with victory in Geneva (SUI), sixth leg of the 2013/2014 season. IJsbrand Chardon gave (NED) everything he could, but one knockdown dropped him to second ahead of Stockholm winner Tomas Eriksson (SWE) in third.

Dutchman Johan Jacobs, O- and World Cup Course Designer, replaced his colleague Falk Böhnisch who retired last year. Jacobs treated the eight drivers in Geneva to a nice course with fluent and technical parts, including the exciting and unique water obstacle.

Despite the early hour on Sunday morning, the stands in the Palexpo hall were filled with enthusiastic spectators, who enjoyed this ‘small final’ as the competitors described the competition in Geneva. The time difference between the top three drivers after the first round was less than two seconds, resulting in a thrilling Winning Round that demanded the most of the drivers’ skills.

Boyd Exell had a short stop in the first obstacle in the first round, which cost him around six seconds, but his speed overall was excellent and he remained clear in the long course to earn a place in the Winning Round. Second man in for the decider, Exell tried to maintain his high speed without making any mistakes. Driving a new right leader horse, the seven-year-old gelding Aba Sam previously driven by József Dobrovitz junior (HUN), the Australian Boyd powered round the course to set the fastest time and an unbeatable standard.

It was Exell’s sixth win in a row in Geneva, including the FEI World Cup Driving Final of the 2009/2010 season. He has now tops the standings after finishing his five FEI World Cup Driving events. The Great-Britain based driver will compete with a wild card at the next leg in London-Olympia next week, after which he will enjoy a well-deserved holiday in his homeland Australia.

Exell’s good performance put the pressure on last man in, IJsbrand Chardon, who drove the same team that he steered to victory in the FEI World Cup Driving competition in Budapest (HUN) two weeks ago. Although the speed of his Lipizzaner horses was not so high in the first round, Chardon gave everything he had and took all the risks in the Winning Round. The speed was good this time, but with one ball down at obstacle 11, Chardon had to settle for the runner-up spot to secure his place on the Bordeaux Final start list.

Tomas Eriksson also had the same team of horses with which he was successful at Stockholm two weeks ago, including a horse of his Swedish colleague, four-in-hand driver Axel Olin, who acted as navigator for him in Geneva. Eriksson was first to go in the Winning Round and he really put the pressure on his rivals by driving his team fluently through the course, putting down a very fast and clear round. But both Exell and Chardon were faster, leaving the Swede in third place at the finish.

Wild card driver Jérôme Voutaz (SUI) put down a wonderful performance with his four-in-hand of Freiberger mares and his results were much appreciated by the other drivers. Voutaz is the reigning Swiss champion and competed for the first time in an international competition in September of this year in Donaueschingen (GER), where he finished 19th. A mechanic by profession, he spends all his free time after work training his horses and was very proud to be able to compete in the FEI World Cup Driving competition in Geneva, his first-ever World Cup start. Voutaz set a fast time and had two knockdowns, which resulted in a well-deserved fourth place, leaving experienced drivers Theo Timmerman (NED) and reigning FEI World Cup Champion Koos de Ronde (NED) behind him.

Both Timmerman and De Ronde made a driving error going into the water obstacle, which cost them precious seconds and one knockdown.

Werner Ulrich (SUI) and Thibault Coudry (FRA) had also received wild cards. Ulrich, who is manager of the driving department of the Swiss Equestrian Centre in Bern, competed with the same horses that he used in the FEI World Cup Driving season 2012/2013 to finish seventh in Geneva. His goal for next season is to be in the Top Ten again and to compete in the FEI World Cup Driving.

Thibault Coudry used the bay trotter horses of his outdoor team and was kindly lent two grey geldings by a four-in-hand driving friend from France, but the unfamiliar team did not have the necessary high speed in the world’s largest indoor arena and finished eighth.

Quotes:

Boyd Exell (AUS): “The golden era, the successful five years I had with my old team is over and I am changing horses to put the best team together again. I think the time has now come to stay with the team and allow them to become a team. I have used the extra competition in Geneva to try new combinations and I will do the same at Olympia next week.”

IJsbrand Chardon (NED): “I lacked a bit of power in the first round, but it was enough to make it to the Winning Round. I really went for it and wanted to win, but the risk I took unfortunately resulted in a knockdown. But I am still happy with the good feeling my horses gave me and I enjoyed the good course. I am pleased with my second place; I am now certain of a ticket to the Final in Bordeaux.”

Tomas Eriksson (SWE): “I tried to put the pressure on Boyd and IJsbrand by driving clear and fast. The course was very good to drive and Johan Jacobs made some small adjustments compared to the first night, which made the course more soft and round. I am happy with the third place.”

Results in detail can be viewed here.

The 2013/2014 FEI World Cup Driving series now moves on to London Olympia, Great Britain on Friday 20 December.

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

By Cindy Timmer

Media Contacts:

FEI:
Malina Gueorguiev
Manager Press Relations
malina.gueorguiev@fei.org
+41 78 750 61 33

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