Kenya Wilson and Sandros Salute gallop through one of the unique elements of the Adelaide cross country that takes riders through closed-down city roads (covered in footing, of course) throughout Victoria Park/Pakapakanthi.
The Adelaide Equestrian Festival has announced the appointment of Clayton Fredericks as CCI5* course designer, effective with the 2027 edition of the event, taking the reins from Mike Etherington-Smith, who had designed at the venue for many years previously and also put together the course for the Sydney (2000) and Hong Kong (2008) Olympics. Adelaide now becomes Clayton’s first CCI5* course.
The only five-star event in the Southern Hemisphere and one of just six (hopefully seven again, in 2027!) CCI5* events in the world, Adelaide holds a singular place on the international eventing calendar. Known for its striking urban cross country course set against the backdrop of Adelaide’s parklands and Victoria Park/Pakapakanthi, the festival draws top riders, horses, and spectators from around the globe each year.
Clayton, one of Australia’s most decorated eventers, brings both elite competitive experience and a growing international course design résumé to the position. A multiple Olympian, he claimed Team Silver at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and Individual Silver and Team Bronze at the 2006 FEI World Equestrian Games in Aachen.
Clayton Fredericks and FE Money Made in 2016. Photo by Jenni Autry.
It’s been a journey of growth for Clayton, who got his first shot at 4*-level designing thanks to Robert Kellerhouse at Galway Downs. “Robert was really the first one to trust me with the four-star level,” he told me. “In a funny way, Galway Downs has really been the perfect place — it’s also a unique piece of property with time constrictions on when you can go and set things out.” This, he says, helps him with the know-how for Adelaide, which is run on public parkland and for which course build is not permitted until the few weeks leading up to the event — a contrast to most other events at the level around the world.
“We’re extremely lucky with the with the group of people, and because it’s the premier Australian event, the whole of the country and the whole of the eventing community comes together to make it a success, so everyone’s working together,” Clayton elaborated. “Mick Pineo and his team are excellent, and I’ve got Mike [Etherington-Smith] backing me up with his wealth of experience. Ewan [Kellett], who is also Australia’s other level four course designer, has been great and very supportive as well. As soon as he heard, he rang me and said, ‘I’m right behind you, mate,’ so that was a big thing for me.”
Adelaide is a venue Clayton knows well — he competed there in the past (on a catch-ride, no less) and in recent years he’s served as the CCI4*-S designer. But moving up to this next level brings its own set of pressures, and not all of them are fence-related. “Setting the actual exercises and the jumps up — that is what I’ve done my whole whole life, whether it be from a training perspective or a course design perspective,” he said. “So, I’m comfortable in doing that. As you move up into championship or five-star mode, there’s so many other things to think about. Where is a good place for the cameras to see the sport, and highlight how challenging it is? Where can you give sponsors who pay for the whole thing a great vantage point? Every element of what happens, from the setup of the cool down area to the ease of flow of the whole the track and the way the vets and the officials and all the rest can can do their job is all on a little bit all on my shoulders as far as the cross country part of it is concerned. Even down to the color of the jumps and how they might correspond with the sponsor of that fence — all these things you’ve got to think about, which is a lot greater than at a three-star or [some of the] four-star.”
Clayton gives a tour of his design at Galway Downs.
Clayton will not be working alone. Mike Etherington-Smith will transition into a Course Advisor role, keeping his expertise within the fold. Australian-based FEI Level 4 Course Designer Ewan Kellett steps in as Assistant Course Designer, and Mick Pineo continues as Cross Country Lead.
Mike ES offered a warm endorsement of the incoming designer: “I am absolutely delighted to see Clayton take on this challenge,” he said. “Having worked closely with him at a number of venues around the world, I have seen first-hand his passion for the sport, his attention to detail and his understanding of what makes a great cross country course.”
That understanding comes from a lifetime of experience and also a dedication to the things that matter most. At the end of the day, Clayton emphasizes sport is entertainment. A ‘spectacle’ must be made to tick that entertainment box — but what’s unique about this sport in particular is its relationship to the horse. And that remains Clayton’s biggest point of focus.
“We’re all working together for the same goal, and that’s to produce a great spectacle,” he explained. “I mean, at the end of the day, we are sort of in the entertainment business — we’ve got to produce a spectacle, but that spectacle needs to be focused on how wonderful horses are, and how much we love and respect them.”
“We always want horses, even at the top level, to come away, and riders to come away [feeling that] even if it didn’t go 100% their way, that they’ve learned something about themselves, or they learnt something about their horses,” Clayton continued on his general design philosophy. “And I think the guys that have competed over my courses will know that it’s never a giveaway, it’s never a walk in the park, but they always feel that if they ride well and understand the challenge and step up to the mark that they come away with with a good feeling. My priority is always on good footing, good landings, good ground, and I always feel that I wouldn’t set anything that I wouldn’t be prepared to have ridden myself.”
David Middleton and WEC In the Money compete at Adelaide in 2025. Photo by Atalya Boytner.
Event Director Kirsty Withers called Clayton’s appointment “an exciting new chapter” for the event. “Clayton’s achievements as both an athlete and course designer have earned him enormous respect throughout the global eventing community,” she said, adding that she was pleased Mike ES would remain involved in an advisory capacity.
Clayton will begin planning for the 2027 Festival immediately. We’ll be watching closely to see what he brings to one of eventing’s most unique venues, and certainly some modifications for the 2027 event will be in place by the time competitors arrive as a Moto GP track will also be built in the park for an anticipated November 2027 race. This will result in some changes to the Adelaide layout, as some of this infrastructure will have been put into place for the April 16-19 Equestrian Festival.
More to come from our five-star Down Under, but in the meantime you can learn more about Adelaide and secure your tickets for 2027 here.
