May 4, 2025 
After Michael Jung’s unbelievable fifth win at Kentucky, shattering dressage scores and leading margins, this week’s Adelaide Equestrian Festival, the second CCI5*-L competition of the year, had much to live up to—and it delivered.
Hazel Shannon (AUS) and Willingapark Clifford joined Jung in breaking records with a historic fourth win by the same horse and rider combination. It’s a feat that puts them on par with the likes of Oliver Townend (GBR) and Ballaghmore Class and Michael Jung (GER) and La Biosthetique Sam and further cements their position in Australian eventing history.
But it didn’t start out as a likely outcome. Equiratings Prediction Centre has Shannon and Clifford on a 2% win chance coming into competition and a 10% podium chance. At 19 years old, no doubt there were questions about Clifford at a five star.
The chestnut Thoroughbred started the week as he meant to go. A score of 30.2 was good enough to put them in second after an electric atmosphere in dressage proved to be the undoing of a couple of other competitors. Steady and consistent, the partnership drew on their experience representing Australia in the 2022 Eventing World Championships in Pratoni del Vivaro, a Nation’s Cup team appearance at Le Pin du Haras, and 5* events in Kentucky, Pau, and Badminton.
On cross country day, traveling reserve for the Paris Olympic team and overnight leaders Shenae Lowings (AUS) and her off-the-track-Thoroughbred Bold Venture came to grief at a late combination of huge open corners.
Clifford was ready to take the challenge.
“He’s just like a bit of a freak,” Shannon laughed after their cross country round, adding 11.6 time penalties to drop into third. “Every time you ride him, he gives you 110%. I am really watchful about how much work I do and what surfaces I ride on. But he’s just an incredible horse.”
Cross country at Adelaide isn’t a handout. Statistically, less than 1 in 10 riders will make the time, according to Equiratings. With 31 elements, 47 jumping efforts, three types of terrain, multiple elevation changes, and a tight time of 11 minutes flat, the 2025 edition designed by Mike Etherington-Smith (GBR) was par for the course.
But two riders out of 20 starters achieved double clear rounds: three-time Olympic team member Shane Rose (AUS) and The Bandit and young gun Sophia Hill (AUS) and Humble Glory coming back from overseas and a top 25 finish at Burghley, both on OTTBs. Both were ahead of Shannon and Clifford, another off the tracker, coming into the final day.
“He doesn’t love dressage,” Rose said of Bandit after cross country. “That’s not his strong suit. But he’s such a lovely jumper. He gallops and jumps really well. I thought if I could get a good dressage test out, he’d be pretty competitive down here.”
Adding nothing to a 36.3 score, Rose and Bandit moved up the leaderboard from ninth to first, while Hill and “Hughie” rocketed from 17th on 41.2 to hold second place overnight.
“He’s always been a phenomenal jumping horse. He’s pretty much always jumped double clear,” Hill said of her partner. “But I think just us getting to know each other as a partnership, and me becoming more experienced as a rider [has helped] because he was my first proper four-star horse, and now my first five-star horse. He absolutely ate up the cross country out there today.”
After one more restless night’s sleep for the competitors, the final phase proved to be every inch the challenge that was cross country.
Rails dropped all over David Sheppard’s course. With an average of 9.03 penalties per round, a single rail didn’t prove too costly. Two rails down still claimed a celebration of success.
Shannon went into the ring in the final podium position, Clifford in fighting fit form. One rail down at a natural oxer on the rail right up against the crowd put them on a total score over the three days of 45.9.
Hill went into the ring in second position. With fastest man in eventing and Paris Olympics individual silver medalist Christ Burton (AUS) coaching from the sidelines, she and Hughie were making easy work of the course, but heartbreakingly skipped fence 9. She was eliminated to the groans of the captive audience.
Shannon moved into second.
Final to go and with 9.6 penalties in hand, Rose and The Bandit let the win slip through their reins when they dropped three poles to slot into second. Five-star rookie Samuel Jeffree and Wimborne Conjuror rounded out the podium on 50.4.
As Shannon’s support team ran screaming to her, cheering and celebrating, records were being quietly made. Ten years of competing with Clifford at Adelaide has produced five star wins in 2016, 2018, 2019, and now 2025.
“I don’t really know what more to say,” Shannon said, stunned. “I try to do the best job I can, but even when I don’t do a great job, Clifford makes up for it. He really is special, and he’s a complete legend. I’m so glad that he’s made history again.”
All that’s left to say? Well done.
With the first two five stars of the year complete, all eyes now turn to Badminton in the UK next week and what records will be over turned there…
