October 27, 2024 
If you’ve ever wondered what happens at the back gate after winning your first five-star, it was four straight minutes of hugging and more than a few tears for Caroline Harris.
And for good reason.
In a field stacked with Olympic champions and five-star winners, the Brit was a long shot contender for the CCI5*-L title at Les Etoiles de Pau.
Harris, 35, only moved up to the level this year and she did it on a horse that was never intended for the demands of five-star sport.
“The owner bought [D. Day] to be a happy hack hunter for her son’s girlfriend,” shared Harris. “When they broke up, he was sent to me. I thought he’d be a cute junior/young rider horse and he just keeps going on and on and on. He keeps just under the radar, plugging away.”
The pair made their international debut in 2020 and steadily climbed up. They moved up to the 4* level in 2022 and landed on their first CCI4*-S podium with a third place finish at Chatsworth in 2023.
This season has seen their star power skyrocket with a CCI3*-S win at Thoresby Park, GBR in March and another at CCIO4*-NC at Lignières, FRA in September, plus a 5* debut at Luhmühlen in June, where they finished 12th overall.
Even with all that success, Harris was hesitant to jump cross country at Pau. Heavy rain fall made for a wet track.
“We were double clear [in show jumping] at Luhmühlen. We took a couple of long routes [on cross country] because he went a bit green and was being careful and went high, so I just wanted to have a more confident run cross country, which I think is why I was wondering if I should go [at Pau]. It was so wet and I didn’t want him to go high and scared.”
Ultimately, it was a bit of encouragement from her friends and the stallion’s proven record in the mud that convinced her to take her shot.
“My friends definitely gave me a bit of a kick on the backside,” she laughed. “He ran so well at Luhmühlen in the mud. And he ran very well at Chatsworth in the mud last year. They just reminded me of that and I think because everyone else was running, I was like, come on, stop being a wimp and go.”
D. Day (Billy Mexico – Dillus, by Dilum xx) answered confidently in kind.
Harris and the 10-year-old AES stallion jumped from 22nd on the leaderboard into the lead after cross country, picking up 10 time faults to finish on 40.3 and fractionally ahead of two-time Olympic team gold medalist Ros Canter on Izilot DHI at 40.6.
“He was just a legend. He was so straight and he’s so quick. He’s like 80% blood and he flew through the mud. He didn’t care.”
Still, Harris had no expectations heading into Sunday’s show jumping round.
“I just wanted another 5* result,” she confessed.
What she got was her first five-star win at her second ever five-star appearance. The final pair in the ring, Harris and D. Day delivered a calm and collected double clear, their ninth consecutive in 14 months, to clinch the title.
“I never thought this would ever happen in my entire life. You’re up against amazing Tom [McEwen] and Ros [Canter]. I’m not even anywhere near them. And to come home having beaten them is quite unbelievable.“
