Record Breaking 11th FEI Driving World Cup for Aussie Champion Boyd Exell

History was made overnight when Australia’s Boyd Exell won a record-breaking 11th Four-in-Hand FEI Driving World Cup™ in Bordeaux (FRA). 

Driving is the oldest competitive equestrian sport which continues to thrive in the 21^st century. In Indoor Four-in-Hand competition, drivers and two team members are in a carriage drawn by four horses as they navigate a series of closely spaced obstacles in a very fast paced, exciting display of precision and teamwork.

Once again Boyd Exell confirmed his supremacy in the sport at the climax of what has been a closely fought 2024-25 series. 

Boyd is the first to take the FEI Driving World Cup™ crown for a remarkable 11th time, with his first win in Gothenburg (SWE) in 2009. This year, Exell unseated the reigning champion Bram Chardon (NED) in a final day of nail-biting four-in-hand competition. 

Boyd was his usual calm self at the helm, with Emma Olsson navigating and Wannes Larsen at the back of the carriage to help shift its weight through the tight marathon boxes and huge curves in between. Churning through the course, he crossed the Longines beam in just 135.03 seconds, giving him a final total of 286.27 for the win and a record 11th title. 

No sooner had he crossed the finish line he jumped down from the carriage to pat and reward his horses, including “Bundy” (Bajnok), who celebrated his 100th win on Saturday. “When you have such a great leader as my Bundy…” Exell said, full of emotion, “...he’s like a banker — you can rely on him under great pressure.” 

The Aussie champion was equally enthusiastic about the rest of his team: “Today they tried. They gave me everything.”