A total of 12 teams – sponsored by team ‘slot holders’ – took part in the Coolmore Australia & Peachester Lodge Senior Team Competition at this year’s event (5 January), with the all-female team riding for Arrowfield Stud & Redback Boots claiming victory by a single penalty in a thrilling finish.
The winning team was comprised of Team Captain Jamie Winning-Kermond riding Tulara Lady Zirocca, Kate Rowe riding Tulara Connecta, Mikayla Hogg riding Bellhaven Corringa, and Jessica Stalling riding Chatina.
Jamie and ‘Lady’ were particularly impressive, posting a clear and under time round to lead the team to victory.
Jamie, who has been involved in each edition of the event since its inauguration, says it’s a competition she always looks forward to. “As an event for [husband Jamie Kermond, and training partners Emma and Josh Collins], it’s always had a great atmosphere and crowd. There are not many opportunities in Australia where we get to ride in front of that number of people. Obviously the prize money and the atmosphere is great, but also the attention to detail for us and the care of the horses has been really good.”
Jamie says the event has always been run incredibly well, but that hasn’t stopped the organisers from seeking riders’ feedback each year and making improvements. “The Magic Millions team, particularly James ‘Bruiser’ Hetherington, have always taken those notes on board and it’s gotten better every year,” says Jamie, adding the use of Equipe for scoring this year was well received. In conjunction with the livestream, it was easy for everyone involved or interested to come along for the ride.
“This year they had this equine precinct set up with extra shade and seating for the people that came with the horses. They really looked after us, which is nice… especially as the showjumping really is just one component of a much larger event,” continues Jamie. The inclusion of a coffee van that opened from 6:00 am for the riders was perhaps one of the most popular additions at the 2025 event!
“I couldn’t fault her…”
Ten-year-old mare Tulara Lady Zirocca (by Zirroco Blue VDL, out of Tulara Copaccia, by Colman) was a star for Jamie on the big stage.
“I couldn’t fault her. She’s just a very, very good mare,” enthuses Jamie. “We bought her as a six-year-old from Clara Palm. I rode her here in Australia first and then Kermo [Jamie Kermond] rode her overseas and I flew over to Doha, Qatar this time last year and catch rode her in a couple 1.40-1.45 classes. She’s now owned by a young rider I teach, Hannah Doolan.
“When it came to picking a horse to ride at this event, the Doolans said that I could ride either Lady or the horse that Hannah rode in the juniors, Checkbook. Hannah picked Checkbook, which worked out well as I was very confident I could catch ride Lady again. She’s pretty simple… I knew she would handle the atmosphere, as she doesn’t bat an eyelid. Regardless of what is going on around the arena, she just looks between the wings and jumps the jumps.”
Jamie says that all the horses in the senior team competition were quality showjumpers, however the ones that excel at Magic Millions tends to be the ones that handle the atmosphere. “The time was tight enough that you couldn’t just nurse them around… that was proven with the number of time faults. They’re all good horses, but it’s a special horse that allows you to be really confident that they’re going to handle everything at this type of event.”
Team effort
Jamie says that Mikayla Hogg, Kate Rowe and Jessica Stalling were fabulous, friendly teammates who worked incredibly well together. “As a team we worked well together… that stood out to me,” observes Jamie.
At just 21 years of age, Mikayla was outstanding aboard Bellhaven Corringa for the Arrowfield Stud & Redback Boots team, with the pair jumping clear and recording just three time faults.
“That made a huge impact on our score… that one of our greener riders was the second-best score. That was pretty epic!” says Jamie.
Victorian Kate and Tulara Connecta – the team reserve combination that stepped up with just two weeks notice – and Jessica riding Chatina had just two rails down each, and impressively were both under time on a course that did see many accumulate time faults. And although Kate was the drop score based on the clock, the reality was both riders’ scores would have had the team in a winning position.
Jamie says she greatly enjoyed the role of team captain – a new initiative this year – and personally loved the opportunity to connect with the Arrowfield Stud and Redback Boots sponsors in advance of the event to share information and insights in the lead up. Come competition day, the team sponsors knew the four horse and rider combinations and enjoyed a wander through the truck park to meet their equine representatives.
“I thought that was really nice of our sponsors… 12 of them came around on a walk with us and met every single horse! It was also nice to have the opportunity to give back to sponsors in providing them with an understanding of what goes into getting the horses there and prepared for a class like that – and also how the class works, so they could follow the action.”
Team Godolphin Lifetime Care (Sarah Duggan/Christalou, Mattea Davidson/Checkamour D, James Paterson-Robinson/Diamond B Vivienne, and Clint Beresford/ES Dakota) claimed second place in the team competition, ahead of Team The Australian (Amanda Madigan/Diamond B Beyonce, Clare Anderson/Tulara Congrini, Jessica Pateman/Celso, and Josh Collins/Cornel).
The fastest clear round of the competition was Josh Collins and Cornel, who posted a time of 72.76 seconds – more than three seconds quicker than the next best clear round.
Full results from the Coolmore Australia & Peachester Lodge Senior Team Competition.
Juniors & OTTs
The Junior Showjumping Competition gave up-and-coming talent the opportunity to gain experience at a world-class event over two rounds of competition. Sienna Holdsworth-Rose riding Coolart Farm Short Torque produced the only double clear to claim victory (0/37.44), ahead of Reese Keenan riding PPP Vive Le Mop (4/37.45), and Tanner Robinson riding Charlie (4/37.92).
Retired racehorses were showcased in this year’s inaugural Queensland Off-The-Track Cup Final, where Makaylah Fenwick and Rainbow Man were the quickest of two double clears (0/43.73) to take first place and claim the winner’s share of the $75,000 prize pool for this class. Louise Day riding Amoretti placed second (0/46.45), while Natalie Siiankoski riding A Golden Alibi was third (4/43.80).
Polo was also run alongside the show jumping at Magic Millions. The Professional Polo Match was won by team Racing Hearts (Ruki Baillieu, Will Gilmore and Dylan Jones), while the Celebrity Polo Match was won by Pacific Fair (Nacho Figueras, Delfi Blasquier and Rob Archibald).
We now look forward to the Pacific Fair Magic Millions Polo & Showjumping day in 2026!
Full results from Pacific Fair Magic Millions Polo & Showjumping can be found here.
