EXELL SETS THE BAR HIGH IN OLYMPIA’S EXTREME
In the Dodson & Horrell Top Score Extreme Carriage Driving competition, Australia’s Boyd Exell showed, yet again, why he is the current world horse four-in-hand champion, both indoors and out. His thundering round, in which he gave a dazzling performance of rein handling, through the course that featured two obstacles and a bridge, recorded a time some seven seconds faster than his fellow contestants.
Speaking after the competition, Exell remarked that his horses felt like ‘magic’ in his hands. “I had to constantly slow them down rather than urge them on,” he remarked. He was disappointed, though, to incur a five-second penalty when a ball fell. “It had felt like a clear round,” he said.
Today’s contest was a forerunner to the two qualifying legs of the FEI World CupTM Driving,the first of which features tomorrow with the Final on Saturday evening. The Olympia crowd were treated to the thrilling spectacle of this competition – the finale of the afternoon performance – as each driver pushed their horses to their limits round the tight course. Exell’s closest challenger, Ijsbrand Chardon from the Netherlands – himself a previous World champion indoors and out, was the only competitor to drive clear. Seven seconds slower than Exell, however, meant the Australian claimed the crown by a less-than-two-second margin. Jozsef Dobrovitz from Hungary, driving at Olympia for the first time, was third.
RESULTS
To view the full results click HERE
