Chardon claims FEI World Cup™ Driving title

After an amazing battle between the best drivers, IJsbrand Chardon (NED) beat top favourite Boyd Exell (AUS) in the FEI World Cup™ Driving Final 2016 in Bordeaux (FRA) today and re-claimed the title for the first time again since 2006. Winner of the first competition, Koos de Ronde (NED) finished third. The Final of the 15th season of the FEI World Cup™ Driving turned into a true thriller where the battle went on until the very last moment.

Chardon made the competition very exciting when his back stepper, his son Bram, lost his balance for a fraction of a second at the last gate and almost fell off, which would have cost the Dutchman his victory. But Bram found his balance in time and stayed onboard in the end.

Last starter Exell had to risk everything to beat the very fast and clear round of Chardon. The six-time World Cup winner had an unfortunate knockdown at obstacle 3, after which Exell put the throttle on even more to make up for that. It did look as if he was going to do it, but a second knockdown in the last half of the course prevented him from winning his seventh FEI World Cup title.

Photo caption: Koos de Ronde (NED) drove the only clear round of yesterday evening and took the lead in the FEI World Cup™ Driving Final in Bordeaux. Photo: FEI/Eric Knoll.

Dedicated his win

IJsbrand Chardon dedicated his win to his former sponsor Kees van Opstal, who passed away last week age 85. “Kees was my sponsor for ten years in the 80’s and I owe many successes to him”, the Dutch driver said.

After two years of bad luck in Bordeaux, it finally came together for Chardon in the Final. Two years ago his horses were ill after the first day so he had to withdraw, and last year his leader horse jumped the start/finish line after which he drove a wrong gate. “I have won in Stockholm (SWE) and London Olympia (GBR) this year, so I knew that it was possible to beat Boyd. The team of horses that I have are very good and after I tried different set-ups I decided after my win in London that this would be my team for the Final”, he explained.

Winning Round

Boyd Exell was last to go in for the Winning Round, which took place over an altered course. After Chardon’s clear round, Exell was less than 2 seconds ahead of him, but the three-times World Champion didn’t feel any pressure. “I knew I had to go for it but then I had this unlucky ball at obstacle 3, caused by the hind leg of my left leader. I then had to push even more, but then a second ball fell. You just can’t have two balls in the Winning Round. I tried and I went as fast as I could, but it was IJsbrand’s turn this time to win”, said the sporting Exell.

Koos de Ronde was last in for the first round and had to go in first for the Winning Round which left his horses not enough time to recuperate: “It is a pity that my wheeler horses didn’t have enough power in the Winning Round to help me put the pressure on IJsbrand and Boyd, but it is still nice to be on the podium.”

Change of direction

Like during the first competition, the several thousands of enthusiastic spectators witnessed spectacular driving competitions today in Bordeaux.

International Course Designer Dan Henriksson (SWE) laid out a technical course, which suited most of the top drivers. In the Winning Round, Henriksson had taken out two gates in the marathon type obstacles and he changed the direction of gate A in obstacle 4. “I wanted to design a more complicated course for the Final than at a regular competition, but I still wanted to have the speed. The course must be challenging for the drivers and I believe it worked out well. I showed the course plan to the President of the Ground Jury, Bert Jambon (BEL), and he suggested changing the direction of one gate. This contributed to a fluent Winning Round although we could see some horses thinking ‘what’s going on here’ as they were already used to the course!”, he explained.

Jérôme Voutaz (SUI) concluded his first World Cup season with a respectable fourth place behind the Top Three by driving a very fast round with only one knock down. European Champion Michael Brauchle (GER) finished fifth in his first Final, followed by wild card driver Sébastien Mourier (FRA) and Georg von Stein (GER).

In 2017, the FEI World Cup™ Driving Final will take place in Gothenburg (SWE). Bordeaux however, will continue to host a leg, much to the appreciation of the drivers who enjoyed competing at the French fixture.

IJsbrand Chardon (NED) was extremely happy with his FEI World Cup™ Driving title. Photo: FEI/Eric Knoll.

Results FEI World Cup™ Driving Final Bordeaux 2016:

IJsbrand Chardon (NED) 250,09
Boyd Exell (AUS) 254,73
Koos de Ronde (NED) 267,67
Jérôme Voutaz (SUI) 152,69
Michael Brauchle (GER) 167,48
Sébastien Mourier (FRA) 177,54
Georg von Stein (GER) 182,63

Cindy Timmer

IJsbrand Chardon beats Boyd Exell at London Olympia

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.

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

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 FEI World Cup™ Driving, London Olympia (GBR), 19 December 2015:

IJsbrand Chardon (NED) 207,07
Boyd Exell (AUS) 213,89
Koos de Ronde (NED) 230,19
József Dobrovitz (HUN) 113,53
Georg von Stein (GER) 115,44
Glenn Geerts (BEL) 125,69
Daniel Naprous (GBR) 133,01

FEI World Cup™ Driving, standings after 5 of 7 events:

1 Boyd EXELL AUS 30
2 IJsbrand CHARDON NED 27
3 Koos DE RONDE NED 21
4 Jozsef DOBROVITZ HUN 12
5 Georg VON STEIN GER 9
6 Rainer DUEN GER 8
Jozsef DOBROVITZ jr. HUN 8
8 Michael BRAUCHLE GER 7
Jérôme VOUTAZ SUI 7
10 Glenn GEERTS BEL 4

Cindy Timmer

Exell Wins FEI World Cup™ Driving In Geneva For The Eighth Time

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.

Boyd Exell won the FEI World Cup™ Driving Leg in Geneva for the eighth time in his career (FEI/Eric Knoll)

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 FEI World Cup™ Driving, Geneva (SUI), 13 December 2015:

Boyd Exell (AUS) 328,86
Sébastien Mourier (FRA) 340,22
Koos de Ronde (NED) 343,00
József Dobrovitz (HUN) 181,91
József Dobrovitz jr. (HUN) 190,19
Jérôme Voutaz (SUI) 191,36
Werner Ulrich (SUI) 204,06
Cyril Maret (SUI) 214,59

FEI World Cup™ Driving, standings after 4 of 7 events:

1 Boyd EXELL AUS 30
2 IJsbrand CHARDON NED 17
3 Koos DE RONDE NED 14
4 Jozsef DOBROVITZ HUN 9
5 Rainer DUEN GER 8
Jozsef DOBROVITZ jr. HUN 8
7 Michael BRAUCHLE GER 7
Jérôme VOUTAZ SUI 7
9 Georg VON STEIN GER 6
10 Glenn GEERTS BEL 2

Cindy Timmer

Chardon wins FEI World Cup™ Driving in Stockholm

Dutchman IJsbrand Chardon won the third FEI World Cup™ Driving leg yesterday at the Swedish International Horse Show in Stockholm. But it did not come easy for the four-time World Champion, as he had to stop for a moment when one of his wheeler horses caught a leader rein under its tail. Young drivers Michael Brauchle (GER) and József Dobrovitz Jr. finished second and third.

Over 15.000 spectators witnessed the exciting competition between the six drivers in the Friends Arena where Swedish course designer Dan Henriksson built a technical course with three marathon type obstacles and a bridge.

First clear

Chardon was last to go in the first round and put down the first clear round of the evening. He was over nine seconds faster than his closest rival Michael Brauchle.
He started off very controlled in the winning round and aimed for a safe round. “In the first round my team went super, the feeling with them was fantastic,” he said afterwards. “In the winning round I had to stop in one of the marathon obstacles after the right wheeler horse had caught the rein of the right leader horse. It really got stuck and I couldn’t move it so I had to stop” he explained. Chardon’s groom managed to solve the matter quickly, and in the end the Lipizzaners passed the finish line despite one knock down with a six-second advantage over Brauchle. It was the first time in Chardon’s career that he has won the FEI World Cup™ Driving leg in Stockholm.

Michael Brauchle flew through the course in the first round, but lost time in the marathon obstacles. He went wide around and touched an element, which caused a ball to fall. The reigning European Champion went even faster in the winning round and stayed clear, finishing one second ahead of Dobrovitz Jr. “This was my second start in a World Cup competition this season. I was very happy how my leader horses worked together. I competed in Stuttgart last week as well, but this arena is a bit smaller so I had to drive a bit more carefully. I found the course technical and very good”, he said.

Lost accuracy

József Dobrovitz Jr. did very well in the first round, but in the winning round he lost accuracy and touched an element, which caused an unlucky ball. He lost precious seconds in the third marathon obstacle after he slightly went over a gate. “This was my first indoor competition this season and I decided to make some changes in the set up of my four-in-hand after the first competition on Friday evening. But I always dreamed about competing in Stockholm. I have been here before as a groom for my father and now I am competing here myself. I find it fantastic! The horses worked very well. I had one knock down in each round but that was not the fault of the horses. It was my fault”, he insisted.

His friends, German international four-in-hand drivers Christoph Sandmann and Sebastian Hess, assisted Georg von Stein (GER) on his carriage. Von Stein started off well, but he had a bit of miscommunication with the horses in one of the marathon obstacles and lost speed, so the 2014 German Champion finished in fourth place in Stockholm this year.

Extra circle

József Dobrovitz (HUN) finished fifth after he knocked two balls down in the second marathon obstacle and loosing time after making an extra circle in the third obstacle.

Wild card driver Axel Olin (SWE) finished sixth after tragically losing one of his horses on Friday night. Olin’s team had completed the round and the horses were walking towards the exit from the arena when his wheeler horse Filur collapsed. The veterinary team was very quickly on the scene to attend to the horse, but sadly there was nothing that could be done. An autopsy will be conducted to establish the cause of death.

Dutchman IJsbrand Chardon won the third FEI World Cup™ Driving leg yesterday at the Swedish International Horse Show in Stockholm. (FEI/Roland Thunholm)

Results FEI World Cup™ Driving, Stockholm (SWE), 29 November 2015:

1. IJsbrand Chardon (NED) 293.79 (5)
2. Michael Brauchle (GER) 299.74 (5)
3. József Dobrovitz Jr. (HUN) 300.67 (5)
4. Georg von Stein (GER) 170.33 (20)
5. József Dobrovitz (HUN) 175.30 (10)
6. Axel Olin (SWE) 197.92 (15) – wild card

FEI World Cup™ Driving, standings after 3 of 7 events:

1 Boyd EXELL AUS 20
2 IJsbrand CHARDON NED 17
3 Rainer DUEN GER 8
4 Koos DE RONDE NED 7
4 Michael BRAUCHLE GER 7
6 Georg VON STEIN GER 6
7 Jérôme VOUTAZ SUI 5
7 Jozsef DOBROVITZ jr. HUN 5
9 Jozsef DOBROVITZ HUN 4
10 Glenn GEERTS BEL 2

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

Cindy Timmer

Exell In A Class Of His Own At FEI World Cup™ Driving Season-Opener In Stuttgart

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-times 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.

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)

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 FEI World Cup™ Driving, Stuttgart (GER), 21 November 2015:
Boyd Exell (AUS) 248,30 (0)
IJsbrand Chardon (NED) 280,38 (15)
Rainer Duen (GER) 286,17 (10)
Georg von Stein (GER) 146,03 (5)
Michael Brauchle (GER) 149,96 (15)
József Dobrovitz (HUN) 174,03 (15)
Results in detail can be viewed here

FEI World Cup™ Driving, standings after 1 of 7 events:
Boyd Exell (AUS) 10
IJsbrand Chardon (NED) 7
Rainer Duen (GER) 5
Georg von Stein (GER) 3
József Dobrovitz (HUN) 2
The 2015/2016 FEI World Cup™ Driving series now moves on to Madrid (ESP) and Stockholm (SWE) on Sunday, 29 November.

FEI European Championships Aachen 2015: Dutch dominate Driving at Aachen

The Dutch four-in-hand drivers have dominated the dressage phase at the FEI European Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand in Aachen, which got underway yesterday with all 180 horses and 36 competitors.

The four-time world champion IJsbrand Chardon (NED) won this first phase of the Championships, ahead of his compatriot and defending European champion Theo Timmerman.
Spain’s Juan Antonio Real Garcia broke the “Orange domination” by finishing in third place, followed by the third Dutch team member Koos de Ronde in fourth.
With three Dutch drivers now in the top four, The Netherlands has taken an early lead, with Hungary and Belgium lying second and third respectively in the team standings.

Winning test

IJsbrand Chardon was second to go this morning and the 26-time Dutch Champion put down the winning test, despite a small mistake in the second walk when his right leader horse trotted. “I am very pleased with my performance, apart from the walk. The horses formed a nice team together and my wheeler horses were very good today. If the walk had gone well as well, this would have been my best test of the season,” said Chardon.

New wheeler horses
Defending European individual and team champion Theo Timmerman is competing with two new horses in the wheel of his team this season. The start to the season has not been easy, but today in the sunny and beautiful Deutsche Bank Stadion, it all worked out for him. “Our goal this season was to prepare for the FEI World Championships 2016 in Breda. If things had not worked out, that would have been our own choice. We decided not to start in Riesenbeck earlier this month, and we drove a national competition instead to build the four-in-hand even more. It went very well there and also in the training session with our national coach Harry de Ruyter, who kept faith in us. It is super that it worked out well today!” explained Timmerman.

Spain excels
Juan Antonio Real Garcia, the first starter today and finishing third, is trained by triple world champion Boyd Exell (AUS). A multiple four-in-hand champion, Real Garcia is competing with two horses from Exell’s four-in-hand gold medal winning team at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2014. “I am very pleased with my test, despite two small mistakes. One of my leaders had a break in the walk and during the one-handed circle, which was a pity,” said Real Garcia.

Close scores
Hungarian drivers Zoltán Lázár and József Dobrovitz set the same score in the dressage today, finishing fifth and putting Team Hungary in second place.
The most experienced Belgian driver Felix-Marie Brasseur and his young compatriot Edouard Simonet finished in 7th and 8th respectively, and with very close scores of 48.79 and 48.90.
Michael Brauchle, whose best phase is normally the marathon, put down the best German performance in the dressage phase. Brauchle finished ninth, followed by his team mates Georg von Stein and Christoph Sandmann.

IJsbrand Chardon (NED) has won the dressage phase of the FEI European Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand 2015 in Aachen – all eyes are now on tomorrow’s second phase, the cones, before the European individual and team champions are crowned after the marathon stage on Saturday, 22 August. (FEI/Dirk Caremans)

Friday cones
The FEI European Driving Championships 2015 will enter the second phase tomorrow (21 August), with the cones competition. As with Saturday’s final marathon stage, tomorrow’s cones phase will see athletes start in reverse order of results.

Driving individual results – dressage phase:
IJsbrand Chardon (NED) 38.81
Theo Timmerman (NED) 39.88
Juan Antonio Real Garcia (ESP) 44.07

Driving team results – dressage phase:
The Netherlands 77.69
Hungary 95.80
Belgium 97.69

Cindy Timmer

FEI European Championships Aachen 2015: Olympic fever returns to Aachen as Jumpers take to the stage

Olympic fever returns to the FEI European Championships in Aachen (GER) this week with three berths at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games up for grabs in Jumping. And with European Driving and Vaulting medals also on offer it’s going to be a hectic schedule right up to the closing ceremony next Sunday evening.

Jumping

The Jumping horses had their first tour of the Soers arena in this afternoon’s training session and the competition proper gets underway tomorrow, 19 August, with the first qualifying competition for individuals and teams which begins at 14.30 local time.

Following the withdrawal of Dimitri Natsis (GRE), a total of 94 horse-and-rider combinations from 28 nations will compete, and 23 countries will battle it out for the team medals. Only The Netherlands, France, Germany and Sweden have already achieved Olympic Jumping qualification, so the race for those last remaining Rio spots will be run between the rest. The British return as defending team champions, while individual title-holder, Roger Yves Bost, will be flying the French flag once again.

British Chef d’Equipe, Di Lampard, has the weight of Olympic qualification on her shoulders this week as well as the defence of the European team title, but she’s optimistic about her side’s chances. “We’ve had a great season and the actual team we have here this week is the winning Nations Cup team from Rotterdam”, she said today. “The spirit in this team is second to none and we are well-prepared and looking forward to it.”

The host nation hasn’t enjoyed the same level of recent success in team events, but Germany’s Otto Becker is reckoning on the “home advantage”, and that extra element could count for a lot.

The first round of the Jumping team competition and second individual qualifier takes place on Thursday, with the top 10 teams going through to Friday’s team medal decider. And then, following a rest day on Saturday, the top 25 will go through to Sunday’s individual final which is always guaranteed to be a thriller.

Driving

When it comes to edge-of-the-seat action, the Four-in-Hand Driving Championships has plenty to offer.

The more demure Dressage takes place on Wednesday and Thursday followed by the Cones phase on Friday, testing accuracy and control. But then the handbrakes come off for Saturday’s Marathon, which is always hugely popular with the spectators as the drivers steer their teams through a series of cross-country obstacles at tremendous speed. It is no easy feat and is always guaranteed to provide plenty of drama.

A record number of 14 nations will be represented by 36 drivers and 12 teams. And the Dutch will be going for a hat-trick of team titles led by defending individual champion IJsbrand Chardon.

Frenchman Roger Yves Bost, individual gold medallist at Hagen two years ago, will defend his European title at Aachen (GER) this week. (FEI/Richard Juilliart)

Vaulting

When it comes to numbers, the Vaulters have the most, with 130 athletes from 15 nations demonstrating their strength, power and immense athleticism in the battle for individual, pas-de-deux and squad medals when the action gets underway on Thursday.

The popularity of this equestrian sport continues to grow at an incredible rate, and there will be plenty of home support for the German team as they come out to defend their title in the squads. But in the absence of Britain’s Joanne Eccles, and French stars Jacques Ferrari and Nicolas Andreani who are all now retired, new individual champions will be crowned, while Austria’s Jasmin Lindner and Lukas Wacha, the current world and European champions, are expected to dominate the Pas-de-Deux.

The Pas-de-Deux and male individual medals will be awarded on Saturday, with the prize-giving for individual female and squads on Sunday.

FEI World Cup™ Driving Final: Exell Writes History With A Record Sixth Win

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.

Dutch driver IJsbrand Chardon is in the lead after the first competition of the FEI World Cup™ Driving Final 2015 in Bordeaux (FRA) (Pierre Costabadie/FEI)

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

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.”

Results after the FEI World Cup™ Driving Final 2015 Final competition, Bordeaux (FRA), Sunday, 8 February 2015:

Boyd Exell (AUS) 239,41
Christoph Sandmann (GER) 273,29
IJsbrand Chardon (NED) ret
Fredrik Persson (SWE) 155,11
Koos de Ronde (NED) 161,63
Sebastien Mourier (FRA) 172,48
Georg von Stein (GER) 184,62
Official results

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

Cindy Timmer,

FEI World Cup™ Driving: Koos De Ronde Flies To Victory In Leipzig

Koos de Ronde (NED) flew to victory in the super exciting winning round of the last FEI World Cup™ Driving qualifier of the 2014/15 season held in Leipzig (GER) over the weekend. His compatriot IJsbrand Chardon was the last in the arena and was well on his way to victory when his carriage tipped over in the last part of the course which resulted in immediate elimination. Wildcard driver Boyd Exell (AUS) had one knockdown and finished in second place.

FEI level 4 Course Designer Dr Wolfgang Asendorf (GER) had laid out a challenging course for the seven drivers taking part in today’s event combining technical parts with fast lines. “I am well aware that Sweden’s Dan Henriksson, who has been appointed as Course Designer for the Final in Bordeaux, is known for his fast courses and prepared a really technical course here at Leipzig,” Asendorf explained.

Change of horse
Koos de Ronde’s experienced leader horse Kasper was not fit to compete this morning and the Dutch driver decided to replace him by the equally skilful Palero. De Ronde kept the reins short and drove with power which resulted in a very fast and clear first round. The winner of the qualifiers in Budapest (HUN) and Mechelen (BEL) went for it in the Winning Round, which took place over a shortened course. He set a fast time again and crossed the finish line recording a single knockdown.

The outcome of the competition was in the hands of his fellow countryman, last starter IJsbrand Chardon.

Aladin
IJsbrand Chardon knew before the start of the competition that he had nothing to loose and decided to use his new trump Aladin in the lead of his team. Chardon had already used the piebald gelding in the first competitions at previous FEI World Cup™ Driving events but never when competing for the precious World Cup points. The nine-year-old gelding set Chardon’s team on fire and took three seconds off De Ronde’s time in the first round, securing their leading position with a clear round. The four-time World Champion entered the arena for the Winning Round, knowing he had a comfortable eight-second advantage. Chardon flew through the course again and was on his way to victory when his carriage tipped over in the last phase of the course. The team was eliminated and no one was injured in the incident.

Driver’s mistakes
Boyd Exell had two unusual knockdowns in the first round and was first to start in the Winning Round. The five-time World Champion set a very fast time, but another knockdown gave De Ronde additional space and made the Australian finish in second place.

Switzerland’s Werner Ulrich drove a clear round, taking his team of three Swiss-bred horses and one Lipizzaner to fourth place.

New left side
József Dobrovitz (HUN) used two new horses in his four-in-hand, the left leader and the left wheeler horses having never competed in an FEI World Cup™ Driving event before. The Hungarian felt that the left leader horse he had used on home ground in Budapest and in Geneva (SUI) was not of the necessary standard. The driver replaced this horse by the young and fast Lipizzaner Pandur. The left wheeler horse was also a new Lipizzaner named Platon. It was the first time for the 11-year old Pandur as a leader horse in a big competition, Dobrovitz only having started using him in his four-in-hand two weeks ago. Dobrovitz was very concentrated in the first half of the course but lost speed in the second half. One knockdown prevented him from qualifying for the Winning Round.

The Netherlands’ Koos de Ronde and his four-in-hand on their way to victory in the last FEI World Cup™ Driving qualifier of the 2014/15 season (Karl Heinz Frieler/FEI).

Fax
One of Georg von Stein’s fast Lipizzaner horses, with which he finished third in Mechelen, was injured and the German driver replaced him by the experienced Fax, which he had lent to his compatriot Christoph Sandmann for the World Cup season. Second wildcard driver Von Stein finished in sixth place, ahead of the reigning European Champion Theo Timmerman (NED).

Family affair
Carriage driving is a family sport, this was proven once again by IJsbrand Chardon and József Dobrovitz.

Chardon’s eldest daughter Jeannette, an international Eventing rider herself, was navigating for her father, while his son Bram, double world pony four-in-hand champion, was his back stepper.

Dobrovitz’s son József, a very successful international pony and horse four-in-hand driver, acted as his navigator. His nephew Krisztóf Osztertag, who is also very successful on the international circuit with his horse pair, was his back stepper.

Quotes
Koos de Ronde (NED): “I won in 2013 in Leipzig. Back then it had been the last competition before the Final too which I won! I hope this victory brings me good luck for the Final this year as well. I won because IJsbrand tipped over and, of course this is not the best way to win but the feeling was very good today. This gives me a good feeling for the Final.”

Boyd Exell (AUS): “I made two mistakes in the first round which was a little disappointing, but I am happy with my horses. I had a very good feeling. My team is good and I am not worried about the Final.”

IJsbrand Chardon (NED): “I had a super feeling, I drove for a 10 and I did not make any mistakes. I knew that I was on my way to victory. It is a pity that I turned over, but it had nothing to do with the course. This could have happened anywhere. The most important thing for me was that I had a very good feeling, also towards the Final.”

Australia’s Boyd at London (Trevor Meeks/FEI).

Results FEI World Cup™ Driving, Leipzig (GER), 18 January 2015:

1. Koos de Ronde (NED) 242,32

2. Boyd Exell (AUS) 251,99

3. IJsbrand Chardon (NED) – elim.

4. Werner Ulrich (SUI) 138,26

5. József Dobrovitz (HUN) 138,57

6. Georg von Stein (GER) 154,11

7. Theo Timmerman (NED) 163,20

FEI World Cup™ Driving, standings after 7 of 7 events:
1 Boyd EXELL AUS 30
2 Koos DE RONDE NED 25
3 Fredrik PERSSON SWE 24
IJsbrand CHARDON NED 24
5 Christoph SANDMANN GER 17
6 Georg VON STEIN GER 13

Jozsef DOBROVITZ HUN 13
8 Werner ULRICH SUI 10
Glenn GEERTS BEL 10
10 Theo TIMMERMAN NED 7

bold = Qualified for the Final. Georg von Stein (GER) is qualified because he had one higher placing than Jozsef Dobrovitz (HUN).

The 2014/2015 FEI World Cup™ Driving series now moves on to the Final in Bordeaux (FRA) on Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 February 2015.

The FEI World Cup™ Driving competition in Bordeaux will be broadcast live on FEI TV, the FEI’s official video platform, on 8 February at 12.00 CET.

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

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

FEI World Cup™ Driving: Exell extraordinary again at London Olympia

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.

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

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 one is 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 lend 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 FEI World Cup™ Driving, London (GBR), 20 December 2014:

Boyd Exell (AUS) 240.44
IJsbrand Chardon (NED) 244.11
Fredrik Persson (SWE) 266.59
Koos de Ronde (NED) 136.63
Glenn Geerts (BEL) 139.78
Theo Timmerman (NED) 140.12
Daniel Naprous (GBR) 154.35

FEI World Cup™ Driving, standings after 5 of 7 events:

1 Boyd EXELL AUS 30
2 IJsbrand CHARDON NED 24
3 Koos DE RONDE NED 15
4 Christoph SANDMANN GER 14
5 Fredrik PERSSON SWE 14
6 Jozsef DOBROVITZ HUN 13
7 Glenn GEERTS BEL 10
8 Georg VON STEIN GER 6
9 Werner ULRICH SUI 5
10 Theo TIMMERMAN NED 4

By Cindy Timmer

FEI World Cup™ Driving: Sensational Start Of Season For Koos De Ronde

Dutch driver Koos de Ronde won his first FEI World Cup™ Driving qualifier of the season in Budapest (HUN) today. Thanks to his wonderful fast and clear round, De Ronde put fellow countryman IJsbrand Chardon, who was just under two seconds ahead of him, under pressure. Chardon recorded the fastest time in the Laszlo Papp Arena, but had two knockdowns and finished second, ahead of home driver József Dobrovitz.

New team

De Ronde started in Budapest for the first time with his new four-in-hand and put his foot down straight away. The FEI World Cup™ Driving 2013 champion used to drive his father’s team of piebald geldings but as the horses were getting older, he attempted to gradually renew his four-in-hand during the previous seasons. De Ronde was not pleased with the changes and at the end of last season he decided to go for a completely new team of indoor horses. His leader horses Joep and Kasper were previously part of fellow Dutch driver Theo Timmerman’s indoor team. The new wheeler Sarasko was formerly owned by US driver Misdee Wrigley-Miller who used him in her horse pair. His other wheeler Celina has been part of De Ronde’s indoor team since 2013.

De Ronde’s team went through the course built by Hungarian world championship course designer Gábor Fintha in a confident way. The course proved challenging and turned out to be more difficult than it had initially appeared. It included technical parts along with fast lines and mistakes were made in different places. The spectacular fireworks that went off as the drivers crossed the bridge gave an extra dimension to the competition.

The member of the gold-winning Dutch team at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2014 in Normandy had one knockdown in the first round, but kept clear in the very fast Winning Round which took place over a shortened course. This is the first time that Koos de Ronde has won the FEI World Cup™ Driving competition in Budapest.

Risky business

IJsbrand Chardon was last to go in the Winning Round and used one different wheeler horse in comparison to last week’s competition in Stuttgart (GER). Chardon knew that De Ronde had driven a fast and clear round and that he only held a 1.82-second advantage over his teammate. Unfortunately, the lack of experience of his wheeler horse caused one knockdown at the start of the course. Chardon decided to take more risks and went even faster. A second ball fell which caused him to drop to second place.

Home driver

For József Dobrovitz Budapest is always a very special show as he lives only 20 km away in Vecsés, where he organises a four-star international outdoor driving event each year. In Stuttgart he felt his horses were too strong, so he changed one leader horse and one wheeler horse. His left leader Kinzhal is an Orlov trotter, which he also uses outdoors in the marathon and cones. His other leader Alex was previously owned by Jozsef Bozsik (HUN) and has been at Dobrovitz’s horse farm since April. Dobrovitz performed two good rounds in front of his home crowd, but a knockdown in each round prevented him from winning. Dobrovitz, whose father Dobrovitz Sr was honoured in the arena in Budapest for his 75th birthday and his contribution to the carriage driving sport, finished in third place.

Wildcards

German driver Georg von Stein was pleased with his fourth place. The reigning national champion competed on home ground in Stuttgart with a wildcard where he finished in fifth place. His team, with two Lipizzaner geldings in the lead, remained unchanged and led him to fourth place in Budapest today.

Wildcard driver József Dobrovitz Jr used two new horses in his team and realised how difficult it was to take part in indoor competitions with an inexperienced team. ‘Joci’ was nevertheless pleased with his wild card and with his fifth place.

The Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2014 marathon winner Christoph Sandmann (GER) changed one leader horse after the first competition in Budapest, but lacked the necessary speed for a high placing and finished sixth.

Second wildcard driver, Dobrovitz’s cousin Márk Ozstertág (HUN), completed the family’s dominance in Budapest and finished seventh. Mark and his brother Krisztóf, who was navigating for his uncle József Dobrovitz, both drove a six-in-hand during an impressive demonstration alongside Dobrovitz and Dobrovitz Jr.

Koos De Ronde (NED) won his first qualifier of the FEI World Cup™ Driving 2014/15 season held at Budapest (HUN) today. Photo: Krisztina Hadju/FEI.

Quotes:

Koos de Ronde (NED): “It takes some time to get the settings right for my new team. I made changes to the bits of my leader horses and they were fantastic in the arena. I knew that I could not afford a bad placing because I only have three competitions, so I did a steady first round and went for it in the second round. I also realise that you sometimes also need a bit of luck. It is a big thrill to make it to the Winning Round and I am very happy that I won.”

Ijsbrand Chardon (NED): “I liked the course a lot, Fintha is the best course designer in my opinion. I always compete to win and if you want to win, you sometimes have to take risks. I had the same split times as Koos and my team is very fast in the obstacles, but when the first ball fell I had to take more risks and this did not turn out well for me.”

József Dobrovitz (HUN): “My wheeler horses are both very experienced. The feeling on the first night was much better than in Stuttgart, I could turn them any way I wanted. For this team, it doesn’t matter if the course is technical or fast, they do well in both. I did not have a specific tactics for the World Cup competition, I just tried to drive fast and clear. Unfortunately I made a mistake but I am nevertheless happy with my third place.”

Results FEI World Cup™ Driving, Budapest (HUN), 30 November 2014:

Koos de Ronde (NED) 227,76
IJsbrand Chardon (NED) 233,03
József Dobrovitz (HUN) 239,34
Georg von Stein (GER) 133,15
József Dobrovitz jr. (HUN) 134,88
Christoph Sandmann (GER) 137,42
Mark Osztertág (HUN) 151,79
The complete results are available here

FEI World Cup™ Driving, standings after 2 of 7 events:

1 IJsbrand CHARDON NED 14
2 Boyd EXELL AUS 10
Koos DE RONDE NED 10
4 Jozsef DOBROVITZ HUN 8
5 Christoph SANDMANN GER 7
6 Georg VON STEIN GER 3
7 Glenn GEERTS BEL 2

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

Cindy Timmer

FEI World Cup™ Driving: Exell Is The Super Star In Stuttgart

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.”

Results – FEI World Cup™ Driving, Stuttgart (GER), 22 November 2014:

Boyd Exell (AUS) 251,18

IJsbrand Chardon (NED) 260,35

Christoph Sandmann (GER) 275,05

József Dobrovitz (HUN) 146,86

Georg von Stein (GER) 150,37

Glenn Geerts (BEL) 151,86

Daniel Schneiders (GER) 155,11

FEI World Cup™ Driving, standings after 1 of 7 events:

Boyd Exell (AUS) 10

IJsbrand Chardon (NED) 7

Christoph Sandmann (GER) 5

József Dobrovitz (HUN) 4

Glenn Geerts (BEL) 3

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).

Cindy Timmer