Sydney Showjumping Club had their annual championships event on Saturday and Sunday at Richmond just west of Sydney and with his new owner Kathy O’Hara still on the sidelines with a broken foot, champion showjumper Tom McDermott took the reins on champion sprinter Nature Strip in his first official competition.
Big red competed in the 90cm classes jumping clear on both days, although he had a time penalty on Saturday which is something of an irony for a horse once considered the fastest in the world!
That said, showjumping is a new skill for him to learn and when thoroughbreds make the transition from track to jump arena there are so many things for them to take in and be thinking about in order to jump clear that it takes time to add speed into the equation.
Nature Strip and Tom McDermott finished eighth of 18 on Sunday, a great beginning for this superstar sprinter loving his new life as a showjumper.
