Beesd, The Netherlands - The 19th edition of the World Four-in-Hand Driving Championship, one of the major highlights of the driving season, opened impressively yesterday in Beesd, the Netherlands. The wonderful opening ceremony marked the start of one of the driving highlights of the 2008 season. Many enthusiastic spectators welcomed 59 competitors from 20 different nations, who were kicked off the competition with a presentation in the large stadium in traditional horse drawn carriages.

Team USA is represented in Beesd by James Fairclough from New Jersey and Tucker Johnson and Chester Weber, both from Florida. The trio proved to be in good form in Beesd on the first two days.

Fairclough won the presentation competition on the opening day, a competition that does not count for the overall results but is meant to preserve the traditional aspects of the carriage driving sport. Fairclough, as always, made a huge effort to turn out his four horses and carriage beautifully. The three judges were impressed with his presentation and the wonderful hat of his lady passenger surely contributed to his victory. Weber took the second place and only Argentina’s Wolf von Buchholtz prevented a US sweep in the presentation as Johnson was fourth.

The second US triumph took place on Thursday where Weber drove an amazing dressage test. Weber, who has represented the USA in seven World Pair and Four-in-Hand Championships, put in an impressive dressage performance with his team of bay KWPN geldings - which was impressed both the judges and spectators. Explosive extensions, smooth collections and correct transitions highlighted a true masterpiece by the reigning USEF National Champion. The judges awarded the performance with a record score of 32.13 penalty points which put Chester firmly into the lead of the provisional standings after the first dressage day.

Chester, who couldn’t stop smiling as he left the arena with his wonderful team of horses, was very pleased with his performance.

“My horses went really well today, especially my leaders did a very good job,” said Weber. “I used three horses of the team I competed with at the World Equestrian Games in Aachen 2006 where I won the dressage. The atmosphere in Beesd is fantastic, it is like the World Equestrian Games or even better!”

Britain’s ‘Grandfather of the Driving Sport,’ 74-year-old George Bowman, lies second in the interim, ahead of Boyd Exell from Australia.

Johnson and Fairclough will make their contributions to the USA team in the second half of the dressage competition, which is scheduled on Friday.

Weber’s record score look’s like it will be very difficult to top.

ENDS

For more information, please contact Joanie Morris at [email protected] or see http://www.wkvierspannen.nl/en/.