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Posted by Equestrian Australia on 22/12/2019.
Boyd Exell Wins Again at London Olympia
Liz Gregg

Unstoppable Boyd Takes Victory at London Olympia

The Australian flag was raised for the sixth time this season in FEI Driving World Cup™ action when Boyd Exell claimed victory in yet another qualifying leg on Saturday at the venerable London Olympia Horse Show.

The world No.1 driver and eight-time World Cup champion entered Day 2 of competition in the lead and had the fastest times in two rounds of Driving on Saturday, including a thrilling drive off with his navigator Emma Olsen and backstepper Hugh Scott-Barrett.

Joining Exell in the awards ceremony was former World Cup champion Koos De Ronde of the Netherlands, who won second place. Third place went to Dutch Driving legend Ijsbrand Chardon, also a former World Cup title holder and father of defending champion Bram Chardon, who did not participate at Olympia.

Fans filled the arena to the rafters for a holiday Driving extravaganza with some of the world’s best four-in-hands teams vying for qualifying points to head to the FEI Driving World Cup™ Finals in Bordeaux next February.

Such a spectacle of speed and agility for the London audience wouldn’t have been possible without the long-time support of The Duke of Edinburgh. His Royal Highness, a former President of the FEI, was recently hospitalized and is sent best wishes for a speedy recovery and swift return to enjoying the holiday season. 

Jeroen Houterman’s course on Saturday was one of his most challenging, packed with abrupt changes of direction and 360-degree turns in the marathon obstacle sections. However, the bridge element and final gallop to the finish gave teams plenty of places to put on the speed, and the crowd was treated to some of the best Driving of the year.

In spite of some incredible performances, only three could make it through to the drive off. Scores for the top three were reset to zero, so the gold medal was anyone’s to grab.

 

Up first, Koos De Ronde had his wife Marie in the navigator’s position, with Martin Beenhakker serving as his backstepper. Having had a raw time of 136.09 seconds and one cone down for 4 penalty points in the first round (140.09 total), De Ronde, who placed in qualifying Legs 2, 3, and 4, wanted to beat that time.

His second round showed what concentration and determination could do. Crossing the beam in a speedy 134.80 seconds with no penalties, all he could do was wait to see if would be enough to overtake his fellow former champions.

Ijsbrand Chardon was next into the arena. Grinning with excitement and the confidence that comes from years of experience, as well as a first- and second-place finish under his belt this season, Chardon had the crowd wild with excitement.

Although he had two cones down for 8 points, he urged his horses on to beat his Round 1 time by nearly six seconds, finishing in 131.73 seconds for a total of 139.73. Chardon was left with his navigator Martijn Wagner and backstepper Chris van Rooij to see where that would place them on the podium.

Last up, Boyd Exell had the crowd whipped to a frenzy before he and his team even hit the starting line. After his turn around the arena, it was clear why he has held the FEI Driving World Cup™ title so many times and won five qualifying legs already this season.

His hands working like a surgeon’s on the reins, his horses showing the suppleness of hours of training, and his team hanging precariously off the carriage to shave time, Exell whipped across the finish in 130.17 seconds in a clean round for the win.

Said Exell to the crowd of his well-deserved triumph:

“It’s incredible! It’s a full house tonight. I could feel you pushing me to go faster at every turn, and the horses responded. The secret is: you’re only as good as your horsepower. These horses are fantastic and gave me everything.”

After the prize giving, for which Exell’s horses sported antlers in the Christmas spirit, the audience was given a show of speed, as each of the top three finishers raced from one end of the arena to the other at a full gallop.

Behind Exell, De Ronde and Chardon on the podium, József Dobrovitz of Hungary finished in fourth place. Dobrovitz has been having a stellar season so far, taking placings at Lyon, Stuttgart, and Budapest.

Fifth place went to Mareike Harm of Germany, the first female driver to qualify for the FEI Driving World Cup™ circuit and competing in her first London Olympia show. 

Daniel Naprous of Great Britain won sixth place. Naprous, an actor known for playing Darth Vader, had a competitive time in the first round but saw his score brought down by 12 penalty points.

American champion Chester Weber finished in seventh. Weber began Day 2 in third place, but 16 points on Saturday’s course cost him dearly.

Because Exell was competing on a wild card this weekend, he didn’t pick up any qualifying points, but he still holds the lead in the overall rankings on 30 points.

Ijsbrand Chardon bumped his son out of second place and now stands on 24 points. Koos De Rond is in third on 20, followed by the younger Chardon on 19.

Dobrovitz and Belgium’s Glenn Geerts round out the top six at the moment, with only six spots open to advance to the Finals at Bordeaux. Weber and Harm trail in the next slots, followed by Benjamin Aillaud of France and Jérôme Voutaz of Switzerland.

With only two legs left, the competition is sure to be fierce as Driving moves to Mechelen next to close out the year, followed by Leipzig in January. 

 

 

 

 

*Supplied by the FEI

 

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