Boyd Exell, the reigning FEI World four-in-hand and four times FEI World Cup™ Driving champion, has won the prestigious Driving competition in Aachen (GER) for the fourth consecutive time. Added to his victory in 2003, Boyd’s name is now on the leader board in Aachen five times. The Dutch team also continued their dominance and won the nations competition for the sixth consecutive time.

Mr Dressage

It wasn’t until the marathon though, which was the final phase for the individual rankings, that it became clear that Boyd Exell would win again. US driver Chester Weber was in a very comfortable lead after a superb individual dressage test. Weber set an Aachen-record score of 33.54 penalty points in the opening phase. The Ground Jury, which consisted of the same judges as the Ground Jury at the upcoming FEI World Championships in Riesenbeck next month, unanimously put Weber in first place. Weber, who is known as ‘Mr Dressage’ at the moment, was very pleased with his team of horses, two of which are owned by Jane Clark. Weber also posted the winning dressage scores at the CAI-As in Live Oak (39.42) Lähden (36.35) and Altenfelden (36.86) this season.

Disappointing Dressage

While Weber performed at his very best, his main opponents Boyd Exell and IJsbrand Chardon (NED) let themselves down in the individual dressage test. Chardon used his World Championship quartet of horses for the first time this season. With this team, Chardon aims to set a good dressage score and minimise the gap between himself and his opponents in dressage and then drive a very fast marathon. But the strategy did not work in either phase in Aachen. His dressage score was 42.24, which put in him in second position, but too far behind Weber. In the marathon the four-time World Champion drove a wrong gate, which cost him 20 penalty points.

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