Boyd Exell claimed The Extreme Driving Challenge at London International Horse Show on Friday, going clear in both round one and the drive-off. His drive-off time of 120.07 was well clear of second-placed Belgian driver Dries Degrieck (125.80).
Boyd was joined on the carriage by Emma Olsson and Hugh Scott Barrett for Friday’s event – the latter being Boyd’s backstep for many years at World Championships and other major events before stepping down in 2023. The equine team remained as it has through this FEI Driving World Cup season thus far: Bajnok, Katydid Duchess, Barny 68, and Mad Max 81.
With the same horses – plus Emma Olsson and Wannes Larsen on the carriage – Boyd also claimed the Opening Competition for the FEI Driving World Cup on Saturday, which decided the draw order for the main competition. Despite four penalties in both the first round and drive-off, his team’s blistering time meant he finished on 126.16 – again well ahead of second-placed Dries Degrieck (134.27).
Unfortunately, Boyd’s winning streak ended in Sunday’s Rating Competition for the FEI Driving World Cup. Despite having won the first two competitions and dominating the season so far with five wins from five starts, he didn’t make one of the three drive-off places had to settle for a fourth in 141.07. His first-round time of 133.07 was the quickest over the full course, but eight additional penalties pushed him behind Bram Chardon by just 0.13.
Competing as a wild card, Boyd has already completed his qualifying events and tops the rankings table, but he enjoys giving what he calls his ‘home crowd’ a memorable show.
An ecstatic Ijsbrand Chardon retains his crown in London
Repeating last year’s result, veteran Dutch driver Ijsbrand Chardon of The Netherlands showed that he is as sharp as ever by winning again at the sixth leg in London. After a shaky start in the first ‘Extreme Driving’ competition on Friday – uniquely London has three Driving competitions – Ijsbrand became slicker with each round and by Sunday night, he was wowing the crowds and showing that he still has what it takes to be the best.
The Dutchman secured a valuable place in the drive-off with the only clear of the night. Although the slowest of the three qualifiers, he had the lowest score which meant he drove last. Knowing that his rivals had each knocked two balls to add eight to their times, he had a little in hand. But he lived dangerously by rolling number ten towards the end of his drive, and had to ensure that he had enough pace to retain his lead – something the crowd helped him do. Crossing the line in 138.29, his total was 142.29, securing the win and ten ranking points.
“When you drive here you are not 64 – you feel like you are 24! The public are amazing and I think we had fantastic sport. A big compliment to the course designer who did a great job. [Saturday] there were four drivers within a second or so of each other. The level of the driving this year is so high, it’s unbelievable, and each time it gets quicker and quicker!” said Ijsbrand Chardon.
Such is the standard at this stage of the season, the margins between the places are small and any mistakes are costly. Dries Degrieck of Belgium was very fast and was rewarded with second place three nights in a row. He had the fastest drive-off time of 135.52, but added eight which kept him off the top spot by only 1.23, with a total of 143.52. He said, “I seem to have a contract with second place this season. [Sunday] I had the last ball, against someone with Ijsbrand’s experience knows to stay cool until the end. I was a bit too fast, which was my mistake but I am very happy. Every year I choose to come to London because I really like the show and the organisation is super.”
Keeping it in the family, Bram Chardon couldn’t quite match his father’s form but he gained a coveted third in 149.18. Although he was openly irritated with himself afterwards for missing a turn as he exited obstacle five during the drive-off, which meant gained time and penalties, he confessed that he was delighted to see that his team had the speed and technique to be in the top echelons again. Having missed out on the drive-offs the previous two nights, he showed flashes of the form which has helped him win three World Cup titles.
“My season started okay in Maastricht (The Netherlands) but I definitely got short of pace in Geneva (Switzerland). I was far behind the others, and I got a big surprise with fifth place. Here on the first day, it started feeling quite good and the horses felt okay, but again I was between nine and ten seconds slower than the others, so I really had to get my horses into gear. But it’s wonderful to have three days here and [Saturday] I gained three seconds. [Sunday] I could let them run and I can see that my team has the pace in them which is really good.
In the drive-off I blame myself because it was the wrong decision in the first obstacle to go the long way to number six, and the horses didn’t know what I wanted to do but the fact that we kept fighting until the end was wonderful. And I gave my father a chance to win!”
Speaking about his father’s win, he said, “After day one we heard someone whispering that he’s getting old but no way! He has a very good team and had a great start in Lyon (France). Here in London because we have three days of competition, the horses kept getting faster because they enjoyed the course, the arena and the atmosphere.”
Michael Mayer of Switzerland, designing the course for the first time in London, received praise for his design. “It makes me happy to hear that the drivers are happy. I just build the stage – it’s the drivers and the horses who make the sport.”
The remaining drivers were Anna Mareike Meier of Germany who was fifth with 166.32, the position she also achieved in the ‘Extreme Driving’. Sixth placed Belgian Glenn Geerts added a hefty twenty penalties to his time for 171.88. He had started with great promise on Friday after making the drive-off and finishing third behind Boyd and Dries.
British wild card Daniel Naprous of Great Britain was seventh in all three competitions. Accepting that it’s tough to only attend one event in the series and be pitched against the most successful drivers in the sport, he stated, “We have to really applaud the show for bringing the drivers over here because we have the best, the top contenders for the final in Bordeaux (France). It’s an honour to be driving alongside these greats.”
Ijsbrand has risen to second in the series standings with 25 points, Dries is now third with 19 points and Bram moves into contention for the final with 10 points. With only six places on offer for Bordeaux, the remaining five slots behind Boyd will be hotly contested. It’s all to play for at the remaining two legs in Mechelen, Belgium and Leipzig, Germany.
Full results can be found here.
Source: FEI press release by Sarah Dance, edited by Equestrian Life.
