McDermott dominates Section 2 at Sydney Royal
Section 2 at Sydney Royal developed into a showcase of consistency and depth across the week, but by Friday afternoon there was no question about the dominant name of the division. Tom McDermott set the standard from the opening class and carried that form right through to the final day, producing a remarkable run of results with both Chester Thompson and Charlie Weasley.
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Monday’s Class 863, a One Round Stakes contested under Table C, set the tone early. Tom and Chester Thompson were quickest in 58.80 seconds to take the opening win, with Lane Clarke and James Bugatti second on 59.70 and Tom again in the placings with Charlie Weasley in third on 60.77. Sam Whale and LP also made a strong start to the section in fourth, while the rest of the field was tightly packed behind them.
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Monday
Class 863, Group A Section 2, One Round Stakes, Table C
| Place | Rider | Horse | Faults | Total |
| 1 | Thomas McDermott | Chester Thompson | 0 | 58.80 |
| 2 | Lane Clarke | James Bugatti | 0 | 59.70 |
| 3 | Thomas McDermott | Charlie Weasley | 0 | 60.77 |
| 4 | Sam Whale | LP | 0 | 63.93 |
| 5 | Anneliese Wansey | Glenara Crystal | 4 | 64.43 |
| 6 | Chris Chugg | Cristallina | 0 | 64.64 |
| 7 | Brook Dobbin | Devos GP | 4 | 64.80 |
| 8 | Tallara Cameron | Cooley Down Under | 0 | 66.05 |
| 9 | Amelia Douglass | Yalambi’s Key Largo | 0 | 66.08 |
| 10 | Coco Miles | Verdasco | 0 | 66.19 |
| 11 | Jeremy Whale | Kingslea Centrose | 4 | 66.53 |
| 12 | Amelia Douglass | Quel Filou 16 | 0 | 69.37 |
| 13 | Christopher Chugg | CF Comanche | 8 | 72.29 |
| 14 | Amber Fuller | Balian D/N Hop Z | 8 | 73.48 |
| 15 | Rhys Stones | Night Shade | 16 | 83.91 |
| 16 | Emma Collins | Yandoo Vancouver | 8 | 104.51 |
Tuesday’s Class 862 moved to a Table A 238.2.2 format and again it was Tom and Chester Thompson who came out on top. Their double clear in 70.17 and 32.66 secured the win ahead of Lane and James Bugatti, while Anneliese Wansey and Glenara Crystal delivered a very good performance to finish third after a clear jump-off. Tom and Charlie Weasley again featured prominently in fourth, underlining the strength of his campaign.
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Tuesday
Class 862, Group A Section 2, Table A Art 238, 2.2
| Place | Rider | Horse | Round 1 Faults | Round 1 Time | Jump-Off Faults | Jump-Off Time |
| 1 | Thomas McDermott | Chester Thompson | 0 | 70.17 | 0 | 32.66 |
| 2 | Lane Clarke | James Bugatti | 0 | 70.97 | 0 | 35.40 |
| 3 | Anneliese Wansey | Glenara Crystal | 0 | 70.26 | 0 | 36.00 |
| 4 | Thomas McDermott | Charlie Weasley | 0 | 68.77 | 0 | 36.05 |
| 5 | Sam Whale | LP | 0 | 71.39 | 0 | 38.05 |
| 6 | Amber Fuller | Balian D/N Hop Z | 0 | 71.71 | 4 | 39.52 |
| 7 | Coco Miles | Verdasco | 2 | 73.53 | ||
| 8 | Tallara Cameron | Cooley Down Under | 3 | 74.15 | ||
| 9 | Christopher Chugg | CF Comanche | 4 | 68.97 | ||
| 10 | Chris Chugg | Cristallina | 4 | 69.93 | ||
| 11 | Jeremy Whale | Kingslea Centrose | 4 | 70.87 | ||
| 12 | Brook Dobbin | Devos GP | 6 | 73.30 | ||
| 13 | Emma Collins | Yandoo Vancouver | 7 | 74.93 | ||
| 14 | Rhys Stones | Night Shade | 7 | 75.00 | ||
| 15 | Amelia Douglass | Quel Filou 16 | 10 | 77.98 | ||
| 16 | Amelia Douglass | Yalambi’s Key Largo | 30 | 93.29 |
Wednesday’s Class 861 followed a similar pattern, with Tom and Chester Thompson making it three wins from three starts. Brook Dobbin and Devos GP stepped up for second after a double clear, while Charlie Weasley again featured on the podium in third for Tom. Tallara Cameron and Cooley Down Under also produced a polished result for fourth, and Rhys Stones with Night Shade rounded out the top five after making the jump-off.
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Wednesday
Class 861, Table A Art 238, 2.2
| Place | Rider | Horse | Round 1 Faults | Round 1 Time | Jump-Off Faults | Jump-Off Time |
| 1 | Thomas McDermott | Chester Thompson | 0 | 73.25 | 0 | 31.14 |
| 2 | Brook Dobbin | Devos GP | 0 | 73.50 | 0 | 33.06 |
| 3 | Thomas McDermott | Charlie Weasley | 0 | 70.52 | 0 | 35.89 |
| 4 | Tallara Cameron | Cooley Down Under | 0 | 74.91 | 0 | 37.11 |
| 5 | Rhys Stones | Night Shade | 0 | 74.97 | 4 | 35.96 |
| 6 | Christopher Chugg | CF Comanche | 0 | 69.93 | 12 | 31.53 |
| 7 | Amelia Douglass | Yalambi’s Key Largo | 0 | 74.57 | 20 | 51.02 |
| 8 | Amelia Douglass | Quel Filou 16 | 1 | 76.11 | ||
| 9 | Lane Clarke | James Bugatti | 4 | 70.52 | ||
| 10 | Anneliese Wansey | Glenara Crystal | 4 | 72.12 | ||
| 11 | Jeremy Whale | Kingslea Centrose | 4 | 73.78 | ||
| 12 | Sam Whale | LP | 4 | 75.44 | ||
| 13 | Amber Fuller | Balian D/N Hop Z | 8 | 70.27 | ||
| 14 | Chris Chugg | Cristallina | 8 | 70.47 | ||
| 15 | Emma Collins | Yandoo Vancouver | 8 | 74.28 | ||
| 16 | Coco Miles | Verdasco | 8 | 75.53 |
Friday’s final, Class 860, brought the section to a fitting close and once again Tom was at the top of the order. This time it was Charlie Weasley who took the win, producing a double clear in 73.10 and 37.07, while Chester Thompson followed close behind in second with another double clear in 74.81 and 37.89. Anneliese and Glenara Crystal capped off a consistent week with third, while Chris Chugg and Cristallina finished fourth after also jumping clear in both rounds. Chris and CF Comanche completed the top five.
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The final class also underlined just how strong Tom’s week had been. After opening the competition with Chester Thompson, he closed it by taking the quinella with both of his horses, a result that reflected the consistency and control he had shown right across the section. Around him, combinations including Anneliese and Glenara Crystal, Lane and James Bugatti, Brook and Devos GP, and Tallara with Cooley Down Under all had their moments across the week, helping make Section 2 one of the more competitive divisions of the show.
Friday
Class 860, Group A Section 2, Table A Art 238, 2.2
| Place | Rider | Horse | Round 1 Faults | Round 1 Time | Jump-Off Faults | Jump-Off Time |
| 1 | Thomas McDermott | Charlie Weasley | 0 | 73.10 | 0 | 37.07 |
| 2 | Thomas McDermott | Chester Thompson | 0 | 74.81 | 0 | 37.89 |
| 3 | Anneliese Wansey | Glenara Crystal | 0 | 72.96 | 0 | 38.26 |
| 4 | Chris Chugg | Cristallina | 0 | 73.70 | 0 | 38.31 |
| 5 | Christopher Chugg | CF Comanche | 0 | 74.69 | 8 | 39.31 |
| 6 | Amelia Douglass | Quel Filou 16 | 3 | 78.09 | ||
| 7 | Sam Whale | LP | 4 | 71.33 | ||
| 8 | Tallara Cameron | Cooley Down Under | 4 | 75.21 | ||
| 9 | Rhys Stones | Night Shade | 4 | 75.45 | ||
| 10 | Emma Collins | Yandoo Vancouver | 5 | 76.98 | ||
| 11 | Lane Clarke | James Bugatti | 8 | 70.95 | ||
| 12 | Jeremy Whale | Kingslea Centrose | 8 | 73.30 | ||
| 13 | Brook Dobbin | Devos GP | 8 | 74.15 |
Overall, Section 2 belonged to Tom McDermott. Across four classes he collected wins with Chester Thompson on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, before Charlie Weasley stepped up to win Friday’s final. It was a commanding week, and one that gave Section 2 a very clear headline by the time the curtain came down on Section 2 at Sydney Royal and it wa son surprise that Chester Thompson was named Bs Performed Jumping horse of the show in for 2026.
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