Tom McEwen became the first event rider in history to win both feature classes at the Agria Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials in the same year, completing a remarkable weekend with first and second place in the CCI4-L.*
The British Olympic gold medallist won the Agria CCI4*-L aboard The Fieldmaster before claiming the GFS Saddles CCI4*-S for eight and nine-year-old horses with Brookfield Danny de Muze.
McEwen’s dominance was underlined by his one-two finish in the CCI4*-L, where just 0.1 of a penalty separated The Fieldmaster and Brookfield Quality.
By the time Tom McEwen entered the showjumping arena as the final rider with The Fieldmaster, victory was already secured. He could afford one fence down aboard the nine-year-old Irish Sport Horse and still remain ahead of his experienced stablemate Brookfield Quality.
The Fieldmaster, owned by Jo and James Lambert and Penny Barker, is a new ride for McEwen this season, having previously been campaigned by Tom Strawson.
Brookfield Quality, affectionately known as Norris, is a 17-year-old owned by John and Chloe Perry and Alison Swinburn.
“I had absolutely no idea what was going on, but fortunately both horses jumped superbly,” McEwen admitted.
“It’s a shame they couldn’t both have won, but what a weekend. I came here with five very nice horses and no expectations.
“It is a very nice result for Tom Strawson, who took Trev around here last year, but Norris is an absolute star, a great old boy.”
McEwen collected £28,000 in prize money from the CCI4*-L and became the first rider to finish first and second in the class since William Fox-Pitt achieved the feat with Stunning and Tamarillo in 2002.
Strong British performances in the CCI4*-L
Sam Ecroyd also enjoyed a successful final day, climbing from fifth and sixth to take third and fifth places following clear showjumping rounds with Bloomfield Manuscript and Jackpot. Jackpot was produced by Ecroyd’s partner, fellow event rider Emily King.
New Zealand’s Jesse Campbell finished fourth aboard Speedwell and was one of four antipodean riders inside the top 10.
Gemma Stevens, fresh from her Burghley success, completed another strong week by finishing sixth with Chilli’s Jester, a son of Badminton winner Chilli Morning.
Australian rider Oliver Barrett produced a clear showjumping round with Sandhills Briar to finish 10th on his first visit to Blenheim.
Barrett was also the highest-placed of the eight riders competing in the inaugural Blenheim Challenge. He represented Stars & Stripes, who defeated the Rising Lions 12.5-4 across the three phases.
Brookfield Danny de Muze secures young horse title
McEwen’s historic double was completed in the GFS Saddles CCI4*-S for eight and nine-year-old horses with Brookfield Danny de Muze.
The class, which has helped identify several future championship horses since its introduction in 2009, went down to the closing moments of the cross-country phase.
With the leading 20 combinations running in reverse order, McEwen was the final rider to leave the start box. He could afford to finish nine seconds over the optimum time of six minutes and 54 seconds, but a 10-second delay would have cost him the title.
McEwen and the eight-year-old Irish-bred gelding completed the course just five seconds over the optimum time, moving ahead of Katie Magee and Cushlas Indigo.
The 2025 national champions had also delivered an impressive performance, finishing only seven seconds over the time to take second place.
Bubby Upton completed the podium with Sancerre de Tigi, followed by Tom Jackson and My Star Turn in fourth and Yasmin Ingham with Kinda Corvette in fifth.
Ireland’s Padraig McCarthy produced the fastest round of the competition with Kilroe Tiger, adding just 1.2 time penalties to finish sixth.
McEwen received £7,500 for winning the prestigious young horse class.
Record-breaking conclusion to Blenheim
Katrina Midgley, Event Director, praised everyone involved in delivering the four-day international fixture.
“This is an event like no other,” she said. “We cannot thank the competitors, their support staff, our team and Blenheim Palace enough for all the effort and hard work.”
Vicki Wentworth, CEO of title sponsor Agria, described McEwen’s historic double as a fitting conclusion to the event.
“The atmosphere at Blenheim is just gorgeous. At the end of our second year as title sponsor, I couldn’t be prouder of what we’ve achieved together,” she said.
“To finish the week with Tom taking a record-breaking win, I don’t think we could have asked for a more special ending.”
Away from the two international classes, the programme included the Eventer Challenge, Connolly’s RED MILLS Retraining of Racehorses showing classes, the Pony Club Jumping Championship and demonstrations from the European three-star squad.
Marcus Bean, groom to New Zealand event rider Clarke Johnstone, received the 2026 Top 4* Groom Award following judging across the Bramham, Scone Palace and Blenheim four-star events.
The Agria Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials will return from 16 to 19 September 2027.
Feature Image: Tom McEwen and The Fieldmaster – credit Libby Law Photographer
