Riders will begin their quest for the title tomorrow (November 3) with the dressage phase in the Victoria Park Main Arena.

On Saturday (November 5), they will test themselves over Mike Etherington-Smith’s cross-country course, before Sunday's (November 6) jumping phase decides the title.

This year’s event features ten pairs, including Rio 2016 Olympic team bronze medallist Stuart Tinney of Australia who leads the pack with Corinna.

Following their win at this year’s Saddleworld Melbourne International in June, Darren Huskinson’s War Hawk could also be a serious Classics contender.

Tinney’s fellow Rio team member and 2015 Adelaide winner Shane Rose will be riding Lee Hokianga, while Jamie McDonald’s thoroughbred Glenorchy South Park will ride in his debut four-star event.

Austrian Wilhelm Enzinger is the most experienced rider not to have won the Adelaide event and this year he has two chances to do so. 

Enzinger has two four-star rides this week in the form of Wenlock Aquifer and Britannica.

Both took part in four-star events last year and finished narrowly outside of the top ten.

Riders from New Zealand have enjoyed some success in Australia’s premier event in recent years and have a good chance of doing so again this weekend.

Twenty-four-year-old Andy Daines will be riding Spring Panorama in their first FEI Classics event together.

They arrive full of confidence having won the Taupo New Zealand event last month.

France's Maxime Livio delighted his home crowd by winning the Les 4 Etoiles de Pau competition, the opening event of the FEI Classics season, last month.

Livio produced a stunning, penalty-free performance on the final day aboard Qalao Des Mers to finish on a total score of 45.3 for the weekend, which was good enough to secure the maximum 15 points from the event.

After Australia, the next Classics event will be the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event between April 27 and 30.