Boyd Overcomes Broken Foot to Soar in Stockholm

Source: FEI/Sarah Dance

It was another playing of the Australian national anthem in Stockholm (SWE) on Saturday, as Boyd Exell captured Leg 4 of 8 in FEI Driving World Cup™ competition. The 11-time World Cup champion has been on fire this season in preparation to defend his title at Bordeaux (FRA) in February, notching multiple wins across Europe. 

Exell may have been driving with a broken foot this weekend, but he still managed to post two fabulous clear rounds on Day 2 of the Sweden International Horse Show to pin former World Cup champion Ijsbrand Chardon of the Netherlands into second place. 

Competing in her first ever World Cup drive off, Germany’s Anna Sandmann finished in third place. It’s a remarkable achievement to qualify for a World Cup event, let alone make it into the drive off, in a discipline where female athletes are rare. 

The Strawberry Arena was packed to the roof with Driving fans on Saturday to enjoy the second day of competition, after Day 1 saw Exell take the lead. Dutch course designer Johan Jacobs set a closely spaced track, with two sets of marathon boxes connected by a bridge in the stadium festively decorated for the winter holidays. 

The spectators were not disappointed with the fierce level of athleticism from both horses and humans. In a tightly contested first round, Anna Sandmann pipped local favourite Fredrik Persson on home soil by just 0.07 seconds. 

Her textbook clear drive put her in the daunting position of going up against Chardon and Exell in the drive off, but she gave the audience a great performance. Crossing the beam with 12 penalty points for balls knocked off the obstacles, she posted a total of 189.83 seconds and would have to wait to see where that would land her. 

Ijsbrand Chardon is known for his nerves of steel, having had a Driving career spanning many decades, with dozens of international medals. Still, he too picked up 12 penalties for an overall score of 175.19. It placed him in front of Sandmann but definitely left an opening for the Australian if he could go clear. 

Showing why he currently wears the World Cup crown, Exell churned through the course, shaving nearly 4 seconds off his first-round time. With no penalties to add to his score, he finished on 156.88 seconds for the win. 

“Ijsbrand had some balls, so it took the pressure off,” Boyd said of the Dutchman’s penalties after claiming victory. He thought it was a chance to slow down a hair, but the cheering crowd had other plans for his horse team of Banjok, Barny, Katydid Duchess, and Mad Max. 

Always quick to credit his equine partners, Exell said: “It’s a privilege to drive them,” adding in his characteristic modest way that he was “still learning,” in spite of his many accolades in the sport. 

Whilst Exell has little to do in order to qualify for Bordeaux, it’s no doubt a confidence booster to head to the Final at the top of the standings. That’s exactly where he is right now, chased by Germany’s Christoph Sandmann (Anna Sandmann’s father) and Ijsbrand Chardon. 

After Saturday’s results, the younger Sandmann will surely have moved up in the rankings, with only a few more legs to see who punches a ticket to France next year. 

The FEI Driving World Cup™ thrills move to Geneva (SUI) next, with December legs in London (GBR) and Mechelen (BEL) to close out 2025. 

Full Results HERE