McEwen makes history with a Blenheim double – and a one-two for good measure

Tom McEwen became the first rider ever to win both the Agria CCI4*-L and the GFS Saddles CCI4*-S at Blenheim in the same year, filling the top two places in the feature class and taking the young horse title.

Tom McEwen made history at the Agria Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials on Sunday, becoming the first rider to win both the Agria CCI4*-L and the GFS Saddles CCI4*-S for eight- and nine-year-olds in the same year – and rounding off the weekend by taking first and second in the long-format class.

He came into the final day with both of his CCI4*-L rides at the top of the leaderboard and a tenth of a penalty between them. By the time he entered the arena as last to go on The Fieldmaster, the nine-year-old Irish sport horse owned by Jo and James Lambert and Penny Barker, the title was already his. He could afford a rail on the younger horse – a new ride this season – and still finish ahead of the experienced Brookfield Quality, the 17-year-old owned by John and Chloe Perry and Alison Swinburn.

“I had absolutely no idea what was going on,” McEwen said afterwards, as the scale of it sank in. He said it was a shame they could not both win, and that he had arrived with five good horses and no expectations. He was quick to credit Tom Strawson, who rode The Fieldmaster here last year, and described Brookfield Quality as an absolute star and a great old boy.

The result made him the first rider to score a Blenheim CCI4*-L one-two since William Fox-Pitt in 2002 with Stunning and Tamarillo, and he left Oxfordshire with £28,000 in prize money from the class.

Get the full wrap up of Agria Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials with Saffron Cresswell in our weekly series, Spotlight on Eventing, watch below.

Ecroyd climbs, Barrett finishes best of the young riders

Sam Ecroyd had an outstanding weekend of his own, rising from fifth and sixth to finish third and fifth with clear showjumping rounds on Bloomfield Manuscript and Jackpot – the latter a horse produced by his partner Emily King.

Jesse Campbell was fourth on Speedwell, one of four antipodean riders in the top ten, and Gemma Stevens finished sixth with Chilli’s Jester, another son of Chilli Morning.

For Oliver Barrett, who led after both days of dressage, the weekend ended with a flourish rather than a title. The Australian produced a lovely clear on Sandhills Briar to finish tenth on his first visit to Blenheim, and was the best of the eight young riders contesting the inaugural Blenheim Challenge – won convincingly by the Stars and Stripes side, 12.5 to 4, over the UK’s Rising Lions.

The young horse class goes to the wire

With the top 20 running cross-country in reverse order of merit, McEwen was again last to go, this time on Brookfield Danny De Muze, and produced an inspired round to take the £7,500 first prize.

The margins were brutal. He could afford to be nine seconds over the optimum time of 6min 54sec, but not ten. He came home five seconds over – enough to overtake the 2025 national open champions Katie Magee and Cushlas Indigo, whose own round was only seven seconds beyond the optimum.

Bubby Upton took third with Sancerre de Tiji, ahead of Tom Jackson on My Star Turn, Yasmin Ingham with Kinda Corvette and Ireland’s Padraig McCarthy on Kilroe Tiger, who was fastest of the lot with just 1.2 time-penalties.

Agria CCI4-L – final placings

GFS Saddles CCI4-S – final placings

Off the field of play

Marcus Bean, groom to Clarke Johnstone, took the 2026 Top 4* Groom Award, judged across Bramham, Scone Palace and Blenheim. Event director Katrina Midgley thanked competitors, support staff and Blenheim Palace, and said the week had shown off both established and emerging talent.

The Agria Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials returns from 16 to 19 September 2027.

Relive all four days on H&C+.