Rocket Of Gold fires to victory in QOTT Showjumping Showcase

By Andrew Smith

He was far from fast on the track, but retired racehorse Rocket Of Gold showed he has plenty of speed in the Ekka showjumping arena on Monday afternoon.

The former galloper and rider Kadell Sykes took out the 1.20m class in the 2026 Queensland Off-The-Track (QOTT) Program Showjumping Showcase at the Royal Queensland Show.

A strong field of 22 horse-and-rider combinations lined up in the Main Arena at the Brisbane Showgrounds, with nine progressing to a jump off.

The 16-year-old rider and 12-year-old palomino thoroughbred set the tone by jumping clear in a blistering 34 second round and were never headed by the rest of the competition.

The duo finished ahead of second-placed Natalie Siiankoski and Curwood, and 2023 winner Emily Patterson and Star Struck (racing name Elton's Star), who took out third place.

Competing at her first Ekka, Sykes said it was a dream come true to take home the $10,000 top prize.

“It’s pretty surreal, I’m very excited to win,” Sykes said post-event.

“We were the fourth out in the first round, and just tried to go with a nice, clear round and nothing too crazy.

“Being in the jump off and being first out was a little bit stressful, but you just have to go for it.

“I’m very grateful and really happy.”

Before becoming a champion showjumper, Rocket Of Gold had 36 starts at the track with his sole win coming at Springsure, south of Emerald, in September 2018.

First trained by John Manzelmann and then Jade Doolan, the palomino gelding had his last race in Mackay in 2019.

Sykes said the galloper by Gold Bold And Rich out of Easy Streets had been instrumental to her development as a rider.

“I’ve been competing since I was probably around four, but been showjumping six or seven years,” Sykes said.

“I've had him for almost five years, we have grown a lot together.

“He took me from around 50 centimetres, we've jumped up to 130 centimetres now.

“It's been a long journey together, but definitely worth it.”

Sykes and the horse she calls “Brandy” will now set their sights on some new goals as they continue to develop their partnership in the showjumping arena.

“I think that's a pretty good goal checked off the list – we will just jump around a few Young Rider tracks this year and try and get consistent at that,” Sykes said.

“It takes a village to run a show like this, and I’d like to say a huge thank you to the Ekka for putting on such an incredible show.

“I also want to thank all the sponsors and committee, as well as Queensland Off-The-Track for sponsoring the class.”

On Sunday, the 105cm class of the QOTT Showjumping Showcase had been taken out by Makaylah Fenwick and Grace And Glory, who claimed the $4,000 top prize.

Earlier on Monday, the Main Arena also played host to the traditional Thoroughbred and Standardbred Day.

Over $25,000 was on offer across 18 ‘Led’ and ‘Under Saddle’ classes.

The race day-style event saw the two versatile racing breeds compete for the sought-after Champion of their Breed, with horse handlers presenting their horses to the judges in formal race day attire.

Handler Louise Cooper and former harness racehorse Gregs Legacy persevered through the rain to be crowned Champion Standardbred.

The brown gelding had started 80 times throughout his racing career across New South Wales and Queensland.

Post-retirement, he had found a home as a teaching and research horse at the University of Queensland, before arriving in Cooper’s care three years ago.

Cooper said the win had come as a surprise after finishing as Reserve Champion at the 2025 Ekka.

“It’s pretty incredible - I honestly wasn't expecting it, we just thought we'd come along and add to the numbers, you’ve got to be in it to win it I guess,” Cooper said.

“I honestly wasn't even expecting Reserve Champion this year, so to come away with Champion is very phenomenal.

“My original plan wasn't to show him, but he did really well at his first show, and I thought, we are going to have to keep doing this.

“The standardbreds are so underrated - people do tend to look at the thoroughbred first, so to have such beautiful horses on display today as we always do, it's incredible to see more.”

Racing Queensland Senior Animal Care Manager Kim Duffy said it was a thrill for RQ to continue the strong partnership with the RNA for a fourth straight year.

“It's fantastic to be back at the Ekka and see the entries increasing year on year for the Queensland Off-The-Track Program Showjumping Showcase,” Ms Duffy said.

“It really shows that the events here are creating demand for thoroughbred and standardbred horses off the track.

“It's incredibly important to showcase both the thoroughbred and standardbred breed off the track, particularly to the general public who might not have any idea what these horses are capable of in their second careers post racing.

“It's really important for the racing industry to sponsor events like these, and creating these events provide opportunities for retired racehorses to compete with significant prize money available for the riders and handlers who do such a fantastic job with them in preparing them for their life after racing.

“Events like these also support our other grassroots sponsorships that are available through the QOTT Event Sponsorship Program.”

Click here for the full results from the QOTT Showjumping Showcase and Thoroughbred and Standardbred Day.