Boyd Exell provisional dressage leader
Australian Boyd Exell was the driver to beat in the first half of the second day of the Driving dressage phase at the Alltech FEI Word Equestrian Games. The defending title holder left the arena at La Prairie Racecourse on a score of 35.51. He is the provisional leader in front of third Dutch driver Theo Timmerman (37.28). The World No.3 made sure that the Dutch are in a good position for their next team medal, all three ranked within the four top spots.
Exell’s quartett of blacks showed just what the test ordered: flashy trot movements, immobile halt and fluid turns on every circle, whether large or small. “The horses were just right. I only had to sit quiet not to disturb them. They came dead straight down the center line. Perfect.” Despite squeaking brakes his Dutch rival Timmerman did even more to wow the spectators. “It sounded like I used the brakes in dressage but they were noisy because of dust from the footing settling on the disks,” the 49 year-old explained. His bay horses extended into a trot that would make any dressage horse proud. “Boy as a right leader is so special. Everybody says it is a shame to drive this horse instead of riding it.” The two provisional leaders are even sharing a “leading relationship”: Boyd’s front horse Capone has fathered Timmerman’s left pathfinder Mister.
Current German champion Georg von Stein finished on a disappointing score of 50,85, sitting on eight after 34 competitors. His bays were well in contact in the beginning but got more tense during the performance. “I should have driven straight in. The left wheeling mare got quite agitated in this surroundings, close to the spectators and made the other one nervous as well. Yesterday already she had problems with the large video screen. The walk was bad and I could not take more risks.”
The arena was a problem for Belgian veteran Gert Schrijvers as well. “The horses slowed down because of the difference in temperature. The warm-up arena had more wind and that is why we lacked sparkle”, the team silver medalist at WEG 2006 explained, sitting in seventh place. Quite his usual confident self, Hungary’s jumper turned driver Zoltan Lazar drove his grey horses into the top ten, scoring 47.84.
The ranking for the dressage phase will most likely change again with the last quarter of drivers still to come. All eyes will then be on American “Mr. Dressage” Chester Weber.
The top 5 (provisional)
1.Boyd Exell (Australia) – 35.51
2.Theo Timmerman (NED) – 37.28
3.Ijsbrand Chardon (NED) – 42.12
4.Koos de Ronde (NED) – 46.25
5.Christoph Sandmann (GER) – 47.13
CLICK HERE for the start list:
CLICK HERE for provisional results: