The final day of the four-in-hand driving, the Prize of Event Rent GmbH, offered material for a Greek tragedy with all it entails. The German team were the tragic heroes in the Boehringer Ingelheim Nations’ Cup.

Bram Chardon (NED) remained superior in the third competition of the four-in-hand drivers, the obstacle driving test, the Prize of Event Rent GmbH, and triumphed ahead of Dries Degrieck (BEL) and Boyd Exell (AUS). Exell clinched his twelfth (!) victory in the Prize of Family Richard Talbot, the individual classification of the four-in-hand drivers, on an overall score of 146.27 minus points. The positive thing from a German point of view: Mareike Harm came second (167.64) and Georg von Stein third (167.97).

But that was the end of the good news for the German drivers. The national coach, Karl-Heinz Geiger, made no bones about it when he said “I am frustrated!”, referring to his team’s performance in the Boehringer Ingelheim Nations’ Cup. Not because they came second and the Dutch were able to add a further triumph to their series of victories at the Soers that is unbroken since 2007. That wasn’t the problem. But Germany had never got that close to snatching up the victory ever before. Mareike Harm, Michael Brauchle and Georg von Stein already headed the field after the dressage. They put in magnificent performances in the Marathon and had such a clear lead at the start of the cone driving competition, that their competing at all today just seemed like a formality. However, anyone who is familiar with Murphy’s Law knows: Anything that can go wrong, does.

It went wrong in Michael Brauchle’s round, he namely drove through the wrong obstacle with his team of horses and was thus eliminated. That was bitter! The European Champion of 2015 was crying when he drove from the arena. It was still possible for Georg von Stein and Mareike Harm to drive the victory home, but then one ball too many fell. The dream of the long-awaited triumph was shattered. “But I am delighted about the second and third place in the individual classification, with regards to the World Championships in Hungary,” the German Coach, Karl-Heinz Geiger, stated.

The Netherlands completed the Nations’ Cup on a total score of 334.520 minus points, the German score was 335.610. Third place went to Belgium on 352.560 minus points.