Olympic medallists Andrew Hoy and Vassily De Lassos return to the Australian eventing team for the 2026 World Championships in Aachen, after missing selection for Paris 2024.
Andrew and the then 12-year-old gelding won individual bronze and helped the Aussie side to team silver in Tokyo five years ago. They also have a superb record at Aachen, jumping double clear to be placed on all three visits, including finishing second in 2022.
When they were on the bench for the last Olympics – which would have been Andrew’s ninth – Andrew said the “chapter of ‘Paris 2024’ may be closing but the book isn’t finished”. This year is their 10th season together and Aachen will be their third World Championships. Vassily is an incredibly consistent competitor; he has kept a clean jumping sheet at 36 of his 44 international eventing starts, and he and Andrew have been in the top 10 at 28 out of their 35 runs together.
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Their dressage marks tend to be slightly adrift of the likely favourites for these World Championships, but their experience, consistency in the jumping phases and course form are three strong aces coming into Aachen – they will be ones to watch.
A fresh look for the Australian eventing team
The Aussie squad has a fresh feel for these championships. Former squad stalwart Virgil, ridden by Shane Rose, retired in 2024; Shadow Man, Chris Burton’s individual silver medal-winning ride at Paris, is back with regular rider Ben Hobday and Kevin McNab’s Olympic and worlds ride Scuderia 1918 Don Quidam last competed at Paris.
With the exception of Andrew and Vassily, Aachen will be the first senior championships for the other four combinations.
Sophia Hill and former racehorse Humble Glory bring global five-star experience, most recently finishing 10th at Kentucky. The pair have also completed Burghley and been placed at Adelaide and Maryland. This is a pair who are likely to climb after the first phase.
This will be the first time we see 2026 Adelaide winner Oliver Barrett (Sandhills Briar) and runner-up Sam Woods (SS Eight Count) compete in the northern hemisphere. Both have strong jumping records – a real theme of this Aussie squad – down under, so it will be exciting to see them now go up against the cream of the rest of the world.
Belgium-based Olivia Barton completes the five-strong squad with rising home-bred star APH Sodoku, with whom she has a wealth of four-star form.
Olympic qualification and gaining valuable championship experience will surely be the target for the Australians, but a medal would be the icing on the cake.
Australian eventing team for the 2026 Aachen World Championships
The full squad, in alphabetical order by athlete surname, is:
Oliver Barrett with 10-year-old gelding Sandhills Briar
Owner: Craig and Prue Barrett
Breeder: Craig, Prue and Jesper Barrett
Breeding: by Christian 25
Olivia Barton with 10-year-old gelding APH Sodoku
Owner: Carlene Barton
Breeder: APH Sporthorses
Breeding: by APH Rocardo, out of a mare by APH Coriandus
Sophia Hill with 15-year-old gelding Humble Glory
Owner: Rider, Caroline Duddy, Olivia Greenwood, Andrew Hill, Michelle and Ted Landy
Breeder: Emerald Thoroughbreds
Breeding: by Bernardini, out of a mare by Shovhog
Andrew Hoy with 17-year-old gelding Vassily De Lassos
Owner: Linda Mars, Pat Harris and rider
Breeder: Jérôme Bergès, Sonia Eyraud and Jean-Louis Beth
Breeding: by Jaguar Mail, out of a mare by Jalienny
Samuel Woods with 13-year-old gelding SS Eight Count
Owner: rider
Breeding: by Hamlet
Australian eventing squad reserves for Aachen 2026 World Championships
Isabel English with nine-year-old gelding Cil Dara Bombay S
Owner: Sarah English, Sofia von Moltke, Jenny and John Curtis
Breeder: Nicholas and Sarah English
Breeding: Balout Du Rouet, out of a mare by Diarado
Sophia Hill with 11-year-old gelding Tulara Baltango
Owner: rider, Caroline Duddy, Olivia Greenwood, Michelle and Ted Landy
Breeder: Tulara Warmbloods
Breeding: by Tulara Balouch
Sam Jeffree with 14-year-old gelding Santoro
Owner: rider
Breeder: Ryan’s Horses
Breeding: by Starnberg, out of a mare by Regardez Moi
Kevin McNab with 10-year-old gelding Faro Imp
Owner: James and Sofia von Moltke
Breeder: Martin Gronert
Breeding: by Wathnan F One USA, out of a mare by Master Imp
