Australia Makes History with Nations Cup Victory at CHIO Aachen

In a fantastic result, Australia has secured its first-ever Nations Cup victory in the Four-in-Hand Driving at the prestigious CHIO Aachen, thanks to a powerhouse performance by Boyd Exell and Tor van den Berge and their teams.

Competing as a two-man team with no drop score safety net, the Australians were flawless under pressure, delivering consistent performances across all three phases to outscore some of the strongest and deepest nations in the sport.

The combined total of 352.780 minus points saw Australia triumph over Germany (367.290) and Belgium (370.290). The dominant Dutch team, previously unbeaten in Nations Cup competition at Aachen since 2007, had to settle for fourth.

Australia’s charge was spearheaded by World Champion Boyd Exell, who claimed his fourth consecutive victory in the individual classification, the Prize of Family Richard Talbot. Exell led from the front with the following penalties: Dressage: 31.73, Marathon: 114.31 and Cones: 8.52 giving a total of 154.56

The win was capped with a commanding drive in the Prize of Event Rent GmbH drive-off, where Exell stormed to yet another win in front of an enthusiastic Aachen crowd.

Reflecting on the result, Exell said, “The horses flew round the course today! They were easy to drive, like they were all week. You can only be as good as the horsepower in front of you and I have fantastic horsepower.”

Backing up Exell with composure and determination was Tor van den Berge, making his mark on one of the sport’s most iconic stages. His final penalties were Dressage: 49.24, Marathon: 131.59, Cones: 17.39 with a total of 198.22

Without the luxury of a third teammate to absorb penalties, van den Berge’s steady hand and reliable consistency were essential to the overall win.

This Nations Cup victory marks a turning point for Australia in international driving. It is the first time the nation has won the Baron und Baronin von Buchholtz Nations’ Cup at Aachen and it was achieved with just two drivers!