Pop ‘N’ Scotch the one for Robert
At Trentham on Saturday a wiry jockey with a bit of a limp and the face of of someone who’s been around for a while will be legged up on to one of the runners in the Wellington Cup.
Been around for a while? Robert Thompson has had a career spanning 44 years, riding mostly in country New South Wales in Australia. He started riding as a jockey when he was 14.
Yes, he’s 58. But the bigger number is his win count. It’s hard to find the correct figure online, but he knows it, because he details his rides in an ever-expanding number of exercise books.
So when he rode a horse called Happy to win at country course Taree on Tuesday, it was win number 4258. How many rides in those 44 years? ’’’Roughly? About 27,000,’’ he says somewhat bashfully.
No one in Australia or New Zealand has ridden more winners. He is a champion in the NSW country scene, and well respected when he’s called upon to ride in big races Sydney or Brisbane. He’s even had a ride in the Melbourne Cup. But the country is his go.
He’s based just out of Cessnock, a former mining town in the Hunter Valley, now renowned for its wines. He comes from a racing family, his grandfather was a trainer, his father was stable foreman and his uncles were trainers.
The family ties and love of racing are steep and it explains why Thompson hasn’t sought the bright lights of Sydney or Melbourne as a base.
‘‘I was born at the stables,’’ he says. ‘‘It’s my home here.’’
He was a gun apprentice riding 499 winners before he was 21 - but unlike many he didn’t crash and burn. He’s been a professional all his life, rarely in trouble in the stewards’ room. An article a couple of years back said it had been 5614 rides since his last suspension - another big number that would stun inquiry room regulars. He says trainers have been loyal to him. Loyalty is a two-way street and it’s one of the reasons why he is respected so much.
His talents have been rewarded with an Order of Australia medal and admission to the Australian Racing Hall of Fame. He’s popular with punters; the form lines regularly advise: ‘‘Thompson rides, so respect’’ and he’s won a stack of country cups, most several times. His local Cessnock club has a race called the Jungle Juice Cup and he’s won it 12 times - which is Bart Cummings Melbourne Cup territory. He’s even won a race at Newcastle called the Robert Thompson Cup. Now that is fame.
It’s a dangerous game, as New Zealanders know only too well with the recent death in a race fall of Southland jockey Rebecca Black. Thompson is an advocate for rider safety and helps out youngsters with advice willingly. He says he’s been lucky with only six or seven falls in those 44 years. His worst injury was a compound ankle fracture, which took him out of the game for over two years while it mended.
He was 45 then - did he think about giving the game away? ‘‘Yes, there were times I did, but as it healed I got more determined to get back.’’
Even at 58, living mostly on a salad diet and admitting that his 100,000km a year mileage to and from races is a bit of a drag, he’s not ready to give up. ‘‘I’m in the twilight stage of my career but I’m still loving riding and wouldn’t swap it. It’s better than waving a stop/go sign.’’
He says he’s looking forward to riding at Trentham for the first time. He has a long friendship with Queensland trainer Liam Birchley and has often ridden his horse Pop ‘N’ Scotch, who lines up in the Wellington Cup.
What chance in the cup? ‘‘Well, he’s no star, but two miles (the cup distance) is his go. If you can catch him on his right day, he can bob up.’’
Maybe it will be win number 4259.