‘RACING IS LIKE RUGBY — SHOW RESPECT, BUT NOT TOO MUCH!’
WHEN you have faced up to the All Blacks and Wallabies on the rugby pitch, nothing much else in the world of sport should daunt you. Especially when you know the possibilities if you have been underrated by the opposition. So no one should underestimate the chance of See you at mid night in the RSA Chase this afternoon. The eight-year-old has won all three of his novice chases this season to put his form on a par with More Of That and No More Heroes, the top two in the betting. And he is trained by Sandy Thomson — who knows a thing about sporting shocks. Thomson, 54, who trains in Berwickshire, was on the wing for South of Scotland when they sprang a big surprise by beating Australia 9-6 at Hawick in December 1984. Alongside Thomson were some of biggest names in Scottish rugby — Jim Renwick, Keith Robertson, Roy Laidlaw, Colin Deans and John Jeffrey. Victory thanks to three penalties by Peter Dods came over an Australian side which included future World Cup stars in Nick FarrJones and Michael Lynagh. Thomson, who also got a Scotland B cap against France, had less luck a year earlier when New Zealand beat South of Scotland 30-9. Thomson said: ‘At the time, Kelso were Scottish champions and we were a competitive team. It was a great time to be involved in Scottish rugby. ‘I played on the wing but I wouldn’t say speed was my greatest asset. Scotland captain David Sole said I was all arms and legs.’ The 54-year-old continued: ‘Racing is like rugby, you have to respect what the opposition have done but you can’t give them too much respect or you will never go anywhere.’ The Thomson family have had a long association with racing. Sandy’s father, David, trained a few horses and just missed out on winning the 1983 Dipper Chase at Newcastle with Samorsumthing. The Dipper, now run at Cheltenham on New Year’s Day, was one of the races See you at midnight, who is owned by Thomson’s wife Quona and ridden by Brian Hughes, has won this season. See you at midnight has also had a better preparation for the Festival than last year when he finished seventh to Cole Harden in the World Hurdle. Thomson, who trains 25 horses near Kelso, said: ‘Last season he had a little problem and then he got a bone splint. We were always struggling. We knew it was a big ask for him, especially as he’d only had five races under rules in his life. ‘We ran more hoping we would be going back this year so that he had been and done it all and knew how it all worked. He was never a problem racing, it was just the travelling. He sweated up a lot. When he won at Musselburgh in February 2014, he just about kicked his box to pieces. ‘When he has been well, nothing has got past him and I hope it will take a good one to get past him in the RSA.’