Above: Tom McDermott and Cooley Gangster at Sydney Royal 2024.

Tom McDermott is a star of the Australian Jumping circuit. Year after year we have watched Tom dominate classes on a large team of horses, but last year in particular he was clearly a man on a mission and 2024 looks like it will be more of the same.

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After a very successful Sydney Royal, we caught up with Tom to chat about his 2023 season and his plans for the remainder of 2024.

Tom says “We set out in 2023 with the main goal to win the Australian League as that has always been a dream of mine. We did every World Cup that we could with Tim Boland’s Coolie Gangster and he ended up winning the league so that was certainly a tick in the box.”

Above: Stephen Lamb presents Tom McDermott (and Cooley Gangster) – 2024 World Cup Season winner.

“Cooley jumped very consistently throughout the whole year, winning 2 or 3 World Cups and placing in all of them apart from Caboolture. I had a smaller team of horses last year and the main focus was Cooley.”

When asked about attending the World Cup Final and Riyadh, Tom says “We contemplated what to do for 2024 and even though we are qualified for the World Cup Final, Cooley is better suited to outdoors and big rings and we also have a little bit of a goal to try and qualify for the Games!”

So Tom and Cooley Gangster will soon be setting off to Europe. “We’ve got a good show plan and we will have a bit of fun over there and have a crack at the Olympics. We will aim for the stars and see how we go!”

Tom will be based at Gilbert Böckmann’s stables in Germany where he spent much time as a young rider. “We used to go for years when I was a young kid so we know each other very well. They’re like a second family to me. They’re going to help me a lot and Gilly’s going to come to the shows and coach me. We are going to start with some 4* shows and then we’ll go from there.” When asked about Nation’s Cups, Tom says he will put in his expressions of interest and hopes he gets the opportunity to ride with the team. “There will be a few Nations Cups on while he is over in Europe but a lot of Aussies who will be trying to make the team”.

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“For me, if I get to the Olympics, that’s a big bonus. My whole plan has always been to go over there and have a go at qualifying. “It would be good to be on a Nations Cup team and it’s just having the performances on the board at the bigger shows”.

Asked whether he will stay for the Games if he doesn’t make the team, Tom says “it’s undecided yet what I will do, but most likely come home. I’ve got a big business here with a team of owners and horses and there is also my racehorse business, which is quite big, so I can’t just drop all that.”

When asked for more information on Cooley Gangster. Tom says “Cooley is owned by Tim Boland and I’ve had the ride on him for about three years now. Tim has been a huge supporter of mine with not just with this horse, but a whole heap of other horses. We have a good business going on together. I rode Cooley originally when he came into Australia. As a young horse, I took him on a couple of show runs for Tim to get the horse some experience.”

“The horse then had a go at Eventing, which he was quite successful at, but he’s always been a better show jumper than anything, so Tim handed him over to me again – and the rest is history.”

Tom really emphasised what a great supporter of the sport Tim Boland is and how great he is to work with.

When asked about the other horses on his team, Tom says “I have Mr Lincoln B, who is owned by a syndication and is coming up the levels and going well. I have also done a couple of shows on a horse that I was riding for Daniel Blundell, Cadenza NZPH, who has now been sold to Chatham Park.”

Above: Tom McDermott with Cadenza NZPH at Sydney Royal 2024.

“I am also riding Crescendo, who’s owned by Linda Huddy and Sophie Magnier, who’s just a young horse, and he’s had a good couple of wins here at Sydney Royal.”

When asked about Coaching, Tom says he enjoys it but “I don’t coach a huge amount of people at the moment, purely because I’m so busy myself. I coach all the Coolmore kids which is great. They’ve got some amazing horses and they have very good backing and support by their parents. I just like to see them progress and go well. It’s not always about winning, but I like to see them progress as they get older and stronger and more knowledgeable. I am very fortunate with the kids that I teach. They’re on very good horses that teach the kids so much, and the kids are all really nice and great to coach as well, so it makes my job very easy.”

So as Tom heads off to give it his best shot at making the Olympic Team, we wish him all the best and certainly hope that we see him in Paris!