Sydney Royal’s Section 3 built beautifully across the week, producing a section where the lead changed hands through the middle rounds before Tom McDermott sealed the overall story in Saturday’s final class. From the opening speed test on Tuesday through to the closing decider, the section delivered depth, pressure and a consistently strong standard, with a number of combinations featuring prominently across multiple days.

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Tom was the rider who kept returning to the top of the order. He opened the section with a one-two finish in Tuesday’s Class 866, won again on Wednesday with Pegasos, stayed in the mix on Thursday despite rails, and then closed the section in dominant fashion by again filling the top two places in Saturday’s final. Around him, combinations including Samantha Carrington, Josh Collins, Liam Rutland, Chris Chugg, Sarah Duggan and Tahli Hendler all had important moments through the week and ensured there was no room to relax.

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Tuesday
Class 866 set the tone straight away. Tom won with Gille Van Hippo Lux V after producing the fastest clear jump-off in 28.10 seconds, and he also filled second place with Pegasos. Josh Collins and Zora took third, with Samantha Carrington and Double J Odin fourth, while Josh and Glenara Starbucks rounded out the top five. It was an early class that showed just how competitive Section 3 would be, with a long list of clears returning for the tie-break and only fractions of a second separating many of the leading combinations.

Class 866, Group A Section 3, Table A Art 238, 2.2

Wednesday
Wednesday’s Class 865 added another layer to the battle and showed that the section was far from straightforward. Tom won again, this time with Pegasos, but the placings behind him were reshuffled as Ned Calcraft and Glenara Stately stepped into second and Chris Chugg and Oaks Ella took third. Samantha Carrington remained right in the mix with Double J Odin in fourth, while Josh Collins and Glenara Starbucks again featured prominently in fifth. Tom also placed 13th with Gille Van Hippo Lux V, which underlined how difficult it was to keep two horses consistently at the very top across the week.

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Class 865, Group A Section 3, Table A Art 238, 2.2

Thursday
Thursday’s Class 868 reshaped the story again. Samantha Carrington and Double J Odin took the win in a single-round speed test, finishing clear in 58.53 seconds, while Josh Collins and Glenara Starbucks were also clear for second and Tahli Hendler and Riverton All Star finished third. Tom remained well in contention, placing fourth with Gille Van Hippo Lux V and sixth with Pegasos, but this was the day where others made the biggest move and ensured the section would head into Saturday with genuine momentum.

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Class 868, Group A Section 3, Table A2 Art 238, 2.2

Saturday
By the time the final class arrived on Saturday, Tom was back in full command. He won with Gille Van Hippo Lux V and completed another one-two finish by taking second with Pegasos, giving him a dominant close to the section. Liam Rutland and Glenara Chantelle M were strong for third after also jumping double clear, while Josh Collins and Zora were the quickest of the four-faulters in the jump-off to finish fourth. Jess Rice-Ward and Al Fonso completed the top five.

Class 867, Group A Section 3 Final, Table A Art 238, 2.2

Across the four classes, Tom was the rider who stamped the clearest authority on Section 3. He won Tuesday with Gille Van Hippo Lux V, Wednesday with Pegasos, stayed competitive on Thursday, and then finished the job with another one-two result in Saturday’s final. But the week also belonged to the riders who kept applying pressure around him, particularly Samantha, Josh, Liam and Chris, all of whom contributed to a section that remained competitive right to the finish.

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