The four-in-hand drivers from the Netherlands have almost got a subscription for the victory in the Nations’ Cup at the CHIO Aachen, the most prestigious international equestrian sport event next to the annual Championships. Once again this year, Ijsbrand Chardon, Theo Timmermann and Koos de Ronde are preparing to leave their fellow competitors trailing behind them. With a score of 81.46 minus points – the format for the drivers is the same as in the eventing: the participant with the fewest minus points wins – the Oranje team is in the lead in the FENDT Prize, the team classification, ahead of the USA with 95.27 minus points and Hungary on a score of 100.58 minus points.

The performance of the German team comprising of the reigning European Champion Michael Brauchle, Christoph Sandmann and Georg von Stein was rather disappointing: After the dressage, the German team is lying in fifth place (seven teams in total) with a score of 108.72 minus points.

In the individual classification, the Prize of the Martello Immobilienmanagement GmbH & Co. KG, the Australian World Champion, Boyd Exell, who is aiming to claim his sixth victory in the CAIO Aachen, is once again heading the field. Exell was already able to win the warm-up yesterday and he set the tone today when he asserted himself on a score of 34.86 minus points against Chester Weber (USA, 38.34 minus points) and Ijsbrand Chardon (NED, 39.05 minus points).

The show continues for the drivers tomorrow with the obstacle driving competition, the Bioptron Prize. This competition doesn’t actually count towards the overall classification, but it is nevertheless a compulsory test for the drivers. The next classification for the Nations’ Cup and the individual classification is the XXXL Pallen Marathon, the cross-country course on Saturday. The final decision falls on Sunday after the concluding obstacle driving competitions, the Prize of H&T Automotive Components.