As he set out on the marathon, his regal horses poised, their silky black coats gleaming silver under the Italian sun, Boyd Exell’s quest to win a record-breaking sixth individual gold medal continued. He might have wished for a later place in the draw to watch what those before him made of the course, but fate played its hand and he found himself following one of the young pretenders to his crown, Germany’s Michael Brauchle.
Josef Middendorf’s (GER) eight new obstacles, with a total of 103 balls perched on their elements, raised enough questions for the 37 starters, who took it down to the wire and were still walking routes and examining the numerous options early on a misty Saturday morning.
Pitched halfway through the order, the dark and volcanic Pratoni dust swirling around him, Michael blazed a trail and smashed through all the earlier times, proving that with bold driving, whip-fast rein handling and post-hugging tight turns, his bid to change the old order and win the world title was a serious one. Ending on a winning penalty total of 107.00, which added to the 49.18 for dressage, shot him up the overall placings into 2nd (156.14).