16 November 2024
Fast times bring Boyd Exell victory in Stuttgart
What a sport! Today it was exciting until the very last at the World Cup competition in Stuttgart. Jérôme Voutaz put in two great performances, forcing Boyd Exell to keep improving his rounds. The differences seemed small, but in the end Boyd Exell managed to claim victory through his super fast times, despite a dropped ball!In the first round today, wild card competitor Georg von Stein started first. With his time of 158.36, he made a good start, but due to the three dropped balls, his competition went ahead of him later. Glenn Geerts and Michael Brauchle were slower than von Stein but for both of them only one ball fell.
Michael Brauchle
Photo: DigiShots
Just not enough for Koos de Ronde
Jérôme Voutaz was then the one who drove exactly the same time as yesterday’s all-time fastest time with his time of 151.87. Yesterday Boyd Exell drove that in the second round, but two balls fell for him then. For Jérôme, one ball fell in the first round today. Then IJsbrand Chardon started very fluently and quickly. He was the very first to leave all the balls on top of the cones in Suttgart. With his time of 154.64 seconds, he was more than three seconds slower than Jérôme, but because IJsbrand had no balls, he stayed above the Swiss.
Koos de Ronde showed he was a worthy opponent to his previous competitors. With his split time being 0.46 seconds slower than IJsbrand, anything was still possible as long as he left all the balls on top. With his finishing time of 156.71 and a ball dropped late in the course fit, he finished with the score of 160.71. With that he did not qualify for the drive-off.
In the first round, after IJsbrand Chardon, Boyd Exell was the second of the evening to leave all the balls on top. He drove the short line in obstacle five from the D to the E and rode the difficult but shorter line from F to gate six. Boyd’s split time was 0.13 slower than IJsbrand. That meant the throttle had to be opened AND he couldn’t afford a ball. Boyd did both and finished in the time of 150.44. Clear and the fastest time!
Koos de Ronde
Photo: DigiShots
Jérôme Voutaz sets high standard
Jérôme Voutaz, IJsbrand Chardon and Boyd Exell thus qualified for the drive-off. Jérôme started first. His bay Freibergers were fast, eager and clearly enjoying themselves. In obstacle ten, he almost seemed to run into a ball at the D and F turns, but he intervened in time and the horses pulled back on time. He finished clear in a time of 149.36, the fastest time so far!
IJsbrand Chardon also went all out to improve his time from the first round. He got off to a flying start but had to take back a little in obstacle five to keep steering inside the obstacle. His split time against Jerome was two seconds slower, he eventually finished in a time of 153.29. A great round driven that few can do theirselves, but unfortunately he could not improve on his result from the first round.
Jérôme Voutaz
Photo: DigiShots
Fast time gives Boyd Exell space
Boyd Exell also had to drive better than he had done so far. After all, Jerome had improved his fastest time AND had gone clear. Boyd got off to a flying start, again driving the difficult but faster line in obstacle five from the F to gate six. The split time was two seconds faster than Jerome, how close they were! In obstacle ten, a ball fell in the A gate for Boyd… From the audience came the requisite ‘oeh…’ and ‘aah…’s. So it was clear to Boyd that he could not make more mistakes AND that he had to go even faster! Which he did, after obstacle ten he sprinted to gate eleven, twelve, thirteen and then past the finish line. With his amazing time of 144.31, he even stayed under Jérôme Voutaz’s score of 149.36 with his ball!
Today, like yesterday, Boyd managed to build such a big lead with his great times that he can afford his fallen balls. He thus manages to finish on top again today. What a relief afterwards!
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Boyd Exell wins
Photo: DigiShots
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