They sent a sizeable delegation and left only scraps for their rivals. His Majesty’s subjects simply swept the stakes, taking fourteen of the first twenty places at the 34th edition of the 5 Etoiles de Pau.
Having made the top three last night after the epic cross-country test, Caroline Harris, Rosalind Canter and Tom McEwen all rode a clear round in this final day of the competition, demonstrating once again that they totally master their discipline.
At 34 years old, Caroline Harris was competing in the second CCI5*-L of her young career, making her performance even more exceptional. After this weekend’s performance, she and D. Day (Billy Mexico x Dillus, by Dilum XX) finished the season with three international victories. At Pau, they completed on a score of 40.3.
Rosalind Canter, back to defend her title at the 5 Etoiles de Pau with Izilot (DHI Zavall VDL x Cavalier), missed a second victory by just 0.3 points (40.6). Her compatriot Tom McEwen, who won in Pau in 2019, came second in 2021 and third in 2023, added a new podium to his impressive track record in Pau, for his ninth CCI5*L here. Partnered with Brookfield Quality (Obos Quality 004 x Bay Coffey Cavalier, by Cavalier Royale), McEwen finished on a score of 43.
Chinese rider Alex Hua Tian, gold-medallist in the individual competition at the last Asian Games, came in at a wonderful fourth place with Chicko (45.7) for his first time in the Béarn region. American rider Boyd Martin completed the top five with Fedarman B (47.1), the horse he rode for the Paris Olympics (where he ranked tenth in the individual competition). Already the best-ranked French rider after the cross-country test on Saturday, Luc Château, a rider from the Loir-et-Cher, made an excellent comeback, riding a clear show-jumping round with Cocorico de l’Ebat, to finish 14th in the ranking.
Rosalind Canter and Izilot DHI placed second. Image by Laura Dupuy.
Ben Hobday and Shadow Man, the horse Australian Chris Burton rode to a silver medal at the Paris Olympic Games earlier this year, finished 12th on 53.6.
Australian Isabel English and Cil Dara Dallas (Diarado x Koyuna Blue Pearl, by Koyuna Quarterback) added just one rail to their score to complete the CCI5*L on 71.5 for 34th.
Fellow Aussie and five-star debutant Samantha Cesnik had a few rails on the final day to finish 49th on 102.1 with Graftango (Birkhof’s Grafenstolz x SWS Contemplation, by Contango 11). It was both Sam and the horse’s first CCI5*L, and certainly not easy conditions to debut at the level given the rain that was seen on cross country day. Congratulations to Sam!
“A very big week or three with a wrap to follow, but right now I’m just thrilled to have a newly minted five-star horse home safe, sound and happy. We’ve learned lots and lots and now it’s time to rest,” said Sam following the event.
Isabel English and Cil Dara Dallas completed Pau with just one rail down in the final phase. Image by Laura Dupuy.
Samantha Cesnik and Graftango, who were contesting their first CCI5*L. Image by Laura Dupuy.
This edition of the 5 Etoiles de Pau ended in the comforting warmth of the autumn sun, after two days of incessant rain. “In spite of the weather, the spectators were there right through to the end” enthused Pascal Sayous, Director of the event. “The 400 volunteers and technical teams did an incredible job. Thanks to them and to the collective efforts of everyone involved in the adventure, we were able to maintain the event despite the adverse conditions. In terms of sport, the International Federation for Equestrian Sports worked closely with the organisation committee to determine what needed to be done for the cross-country test to go ahead. Behind the scenes of an event this size is an incredible amount of work, tons of energy and countless human resources. It just goes to show how fantastic the teams working with us are and I’m so proud of them.”
The attendance figures stood at around 40,000 visitors over the four days of the event, despite the wet, grey conditions on Saturday. The riders know that they will always have a loyal spectatorship in Pau, where equestrian enthusiasts are present year-on-year to spur them on. With its high-quality shows, top-level sports – including the horse-ball tournament won by the French team – and entertainment for all the family, the 5 Etoiles de Pau is a long-standing feature of the sports season in the Béarn, and an exceptional showcase for the region before an extremely international public.
Save the date from 23rd to 26th October 2025 for a new edition of the 5 Etoiles de Pau.
Tom McEwen and Brookfield Quality completed the British podium at Pau. Image by Laura Dupuy.
What they said:
Caroline Harris (GBR), winner of the CCI5*-L of Pau 2024
“I mean definitely, I can’t thank you enough for everything you’ve put into this weekend to make it run. I had my doubts for a minute, but actually the ground ran really well in the cross-country, I thought most of the horses finished extremely well and a really great competition. I really don’t have any words to describe my horse D. Day. He was bred to just be a happy hack hunter, and he came to me and he’s just going on and on and on. I didn’t think he’d ever be more than a 3* horse, and just look at him now. He was ready to go again, he’s 80% thoroughbred, so skipping through the ground Saturday took nothing out of him – he’s an out-and-out trier, and I love him to bits.”
Rosalind Canter (GBR), second
“I think with regards to the ground, I actually took some of the kids out for a bike ride this morning and we stopped and had a look at the ground when you came back from the race course up to the log on the mound, and they all sunk and got stuck, so that is what the ground was like and everyone did an amazing job to keep it going, so we’re all very grateful. With regards to Pau, it’s a very happy event for me, I absolutely love coming here, my horses always seem to enjoy it and it’s a great event for my family too. He will have a very well-deserved holiday, he’s been up and running for a very long time this year, so very much looking forward to him getting home and having some time in the field. Sometimes he makes me feel a little nervous riding him at home, so I’m quite looking forward to having a break from him too, so that’ll be nice. Then I’m not sure about next year yet, but hopefully some more 5* on the cards.”
Tom McEwen (GBR), third
“First of all I’d like to say a massive thank you to everyone in Pau, they did the most incredible job over the whole weekend. The footing and the sand that all the volunteers put down, to actually being able to run – I don’t see this running in England – so a massive thank you to everyone here. Do you know what, Norris has been amazing, he’s an awesome little horse with a huge amount of character. It’s taken a bit of time to get to know one another, but he’s amazing, so on the cards, same as Ros, a well-deserved break and then hopefully some more 5* next year.”
Pascal Sayous, event manager
“Here, everything is possible. We’re in the Béarn region, so everything is possible. There are people who thought we wouldn’t manage it, when the COVID pandemic was rife, people said it was impossible. And yet we made it happen, and even with the bad weather we made it happen too. In sporting terms, it was a real team effort between the FEI and us. When it came to “what do we do and how do we do it so that the cross-country can go ahead”, we had a plan B, a plan C, and finally we went for plan D. But we worked well together, discussed things, and people also listened to what I had to say, because behind the question of whether we go ahead or not, I explained symbolically earlier on: an event is like an iceberg – everything that floats above the surface is marvellous, but beneath the surface, it’s two or three times the volume of work, energy and people power to bring things together so that she (Caroline Harris) could succeed, and that’s important. I’m really very proud, and I realised just how amazing the teams I have in logistics, in sport, etc. are really incredible and I’m very proud of them all.”
Source: Event press release / edited by EQ Life
