Actor, stunt rider and top carriage driver Daniel Naprous made history at Olympia by becoming the first British competitor to make the drive-off final at the show.
Daniel, who was also among the actors who played Darth Vader in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, finished second to Boyd Exell in Thursday’s extreme driving class.
This was a quick turnaround for the horseman, who was filming in Ireland on Wednesday (18 December).
“[Boyd] is absolutely amazing, but for British carriage driving, I’m so pleased to be in the final,” he said.
He added he tried to put Boyd under pressure and was quick, but knocked the final three balls to add 12 to his score.
‘Every time you get on him you know there is no jump too big and no course too difficult’
“The horses, they gave everything,” he said.“I’m super proud — it has been a journey; for all of us from my team, team GB, everybody, we are striving to get better and having these events here and letting us compete against the big boys has definitely risen our game. And we are in the final, so the proof is in the pudding!
“We go over to Europe and are competing internationally, but this is a World Cup circuit so it’s invitational and rankings system only. To be here [is to be against] the top drivers in the world.”
His aim for next year is to contest more of the World Cup circuit and to try and break into the top 10.
Meanwhile, Daniel balances his time with working on Hollywood films and major series with the family business, the Devil’s Horsemen.
“We’ve done Star Wars and we’ve also been in Ireland just shooting The Crown at the moment, yesterday, with the Household Cavalry, but different people,” he added.
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Lucy is an experienced news journalist, reporter and presenter. Since joining the Horse & Hound team in 2015, Lucy has reported from major global sporting events including the Tokyo Paralympic Games and multiple European Championships, as well as Badminton, Burghley and London, to name a few. She has covered current affairs and sports news across the full spectrum of equestrian disciplines and racing, as well as human and equine welfare, industry news and court cases.
