Above: Tom McDermott and Cooley Gangster

The final chapter in the story which was the Jumping program at the 2024 Sydney Royal Easter Show was written this afternoon with the running of the final class of the program, the Grand Prix. Only seven combinations were on the start list to tackle the Graeme Watts designed course, however, they provided an exciting spectacle for the large crowd which gathered at the southern end of the stadium.

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In the first round there were just two clear rounds with Stuart Jenkins and Fairview Alicana the fastest in 85.66 seconds. Tom McDermott and Cooley Gangster also entered the second round carrying zero, having finished in 85.85 seconds. With the next two combinations tied on eight faults, it looked like these two would be battling it out for the victory in the second round.

Above: Stuart Jenkins and Fairview Alicana

The first combination out in the second round were last year’s Grand Prix winners Amanda Madigan and Diamond B Vivienne, carrying 21 faults with them. Unfortunately, it was not to be their year this year as a couple of refusals meant they were eliminated. Brad Frankum and Oaks Calypso were next, taking four rails to add to their four in the first round, to finish on 32 faults.

Jamie Winning-Kermond and Yandoo Honolulu were next out. They had a fantastic round, going clear to finish on a total of 12 and sit in the lead for the time being. They were followed by James Mooney aboard KPH Kavatina who added 16 faults to their first round eight, seeing them to a total of 24.

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It was now time for the top three combinations to battle it out for the top prize. First of these three was the youngest rider in the class, Anneliese Wansey aboard Texas. They took a single rail and when added to their first round 8 to finish on a total of 12. Their time however, was faster than Jamie Winning-Kermond and Yandoo Honolulu, which meant they slotted into the lead and could finish no lower than third.

Second last out were Tom McDermott and Cooley Gangster. They stamped their authority on the class, going clear for the second time and finishing in a super-fast time of 59.54 seconds.

Above: Tom McDermott and Cooley Gangster.

It all came down to our last combinations who knew exactly what they needed to do. Stuart Jenkins and Fairview Alicana, the reigning Australian Senior Champions set about their task, however a rail early in their round meant that they couldn’t win. They still had a good round with two rails slotting them into second place behind Tom and Cooley Gangster.

It was a fantastic win for Tom and a brilliant note for him to finish on as this pair will soon head off overseas to try their hand to secure a coveted place on the Australian team for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

The top six placings in the Grand Prix were as follows:

GROUP C: GRAND PRIX RESULTS

After the class, a number of presentations of historical trophies were made.

The first was the Frank Thomas Memorial Perpetual Trophy, donated by the family of the late Mr F K Thomas, for the Owner of the winning horse in the Sydney Royal Easter Show Grand Prix. Tom McDermott accepted this award on behalf of Cooley Gangster’s owner Tim Boland.

Next was the award for the best Young Jumping Horse of the show. This award went to Devos GP and was accepted by his rider Brook Dobbin.

The Samuel Hordern Memorial Perpetual Trophy was donated by members of the Committee of the Equestrian Federation of Australia (NSW) Ltd, for the Jumping Horse of the Show. Based on a poinscore over the last week, this award went to Fairview Alicana and was accepted on his behalf by Stuart Jenkins.

The Final Jumping presentation was of the E S Playfair Perpetual Trophy. This trophy was donated by the late Mrs E S Playfair, for the Most Successful Rider in Jumping Contests (Junior contest excluded) during the Sydney Royal Easter Show. There was no surprise that for the fourth year in a row, this award went to Tom McDermott.

And so 11 days of jumping action wrapped up in what is Australia’s largest and most prestigious Agricultural show jumping program.