Chat’s barnstorming win in the Gr 2 Theo Marks Stakes at Kembla Grange was the highlight of a very disheartening few weeks for John Thompson. The trainer’s horror run began on August 21st when his talented filly Xtremetime crashed to the turf in the closing stages of the Silver Shadow Stakes. Already a stakes winner in just four previous starts, Xtremetime had to be euthanised after sustaining an irreparable fracture in the near foreleg.
Two weeks later John and Tony Crisafi, manager of the Joy Luck Trust made the decision to retire stable favourite Dreamforce after a disappointing performance in the Tramway Stakes. The nine year old had given his twelve owners an exciting ride in a forty one start career which had yielded 13 wins, 12 placings and $2.5 million. Dreamforce won six stakes races including the Gr 1 George Ryder, and posted three Gr 1 seconds.
“He was in need of the run when he led on resuming in the Winx Stakes,” said John. “He was still in front 100m out but was swamped late by some elite horses. We decided to give him the opportunity to win his third Tramway Stakes on September 4th, but this time he didn’t want to be there. He showed none of his customary gate speed and pulled his head off in the middle stages. The decision was made to retire a wonderful old horse.”
Stable stalwart Dreamforce (Nash Rawiller) gets his well deserved Gr. 1 in the 2020 George Ryder Stakes - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
Just when it seemed things could only get better, Racing NSW Stewards stepped in to deliver the coup de grace. Last Friday John and fellow Randwick trainer Craig Carmody were hauled in to defend allegations that they had been in breach of Covid 19 protocols in recent weeks. By the time they left Racing NSW headquarters both had been hit with charges under AR 228(a) and AR 233(a). The inquiry reconvened late on Tuesday afternoon when Thompson and Carmody each incurred a hefty $18,750 fine.
John’s confidence levels were at a record low when he dispatched three horses to Saturday’s Rosehill meeting at Kembla Grange. He felt marginally better after Fituese had taken significant ground off the talented Entriviere to finish a cracking second in the Gr 2 Sheraco Stakes. Better was to come.
The trainer has been very buoyed lately by the manner in which Chat has been raising the bar. The gangling five year old gelding has taken forever to grow into himself and reach any semblance of maturity. He’d just turned three when he won a Kembla maiden two years ago, and it took him almost a year to post another three wins. He indicated significant improvement with a strong fourth behind talented performers Flit, Alligator Blood and Dawn Passage in the Silver Eagle last October. “He actually led in that race and they only nabbed him in the last bit,” said John.
“After the Silver Eagle he was beaten by a whisker in the Goulburn Cup by Al Mah Haha with Handle The Truth third, and then finished just behind the placegetters in a couple of stakes races before going for a long spell. He’s been on an upward spiral from the time he came back into work. Prior to Saturday’s race he’d won an open sprint at Rosehill, finished second in the Missile Stakes and finished right on the heels of the placegetters in the Show County Quality.”
John paid apprentice Brock Ryan the ultimate compliment by retaining his services on Chat in the Theo Marks, a race in which apprentices allowances didn’t apply. A frenetic pace on the roomy Kembla track gave Chat the opportunity to present his A game. As expected Big Parade claimed the front immediately after the start and led clearly in the middle stages from Embracer, Discharged, Madam Rouge and Chat in a strung out field. Ryan followed James McDonald on Madam Rouge every step of the way before switching around that mare at the 300m. Chat was still some 7 lengths off Big Parade and Embracer coming to the 200m and needed to do something pretty special. He did exactly that by dropping into another gear and swamping Embracer close to home to win going away.
Chat looked like he'd just joined in when they hit the line in Saturday's Theo Marks at Kembla - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
“I wasn’t entirely surprised by the dominance of the win because the horse has gone to another level this preparation,” said Thompson. “He’s a huge horse with a huge appetite who has taken a long time to reach his optimum level. He’s never won beyond 1400m so I’m undecided about an Epsom start. I’ll run him in the 1500m Shannon Stakes on September 25th and make a decision after that.”
John was especially chuffed to see Chat win the Gr 2 feature in family colours - dark blue and white hoops, white sleeves, red cap. “Those colours were registered by my grandfather Vic Thompson Snr many years ago, and were retained by my father Vic Jnr who then passed them on to me,” he said. “They’ve been carried by some pretty tidy horses including Zamination who won a Gr 1 Metropolitan in 1993.”
John Thompson is one of several trainers aiming mares towards the inaugural two million dollar “Invitation” on October 23rd - a 1400m race at set weights and penalties to be run a week after The Everest. Twelve runners will be selected by a panel convened by Racing NSW. John is in the enviable position of having three quality mares who should be well on the radar by the time judges sit down to determine the field.
Thompson is hoping Sweet Deal’s distinguished record will propel her into the Invitation field. The genuine daughter of Casino Prince has a record of eleven wins and eleven placings for $1,563,070. She’s the winner of four stakes races and The Hunter at Newcastle last year.
Sweet Deal was a star attraction at the Inglis Chairman’s Broodmare sale in May and was knocked down to Lustre Lodge for $850,000. The new owners elected to keep her in work with John Thompson who campaigned her in Brisbane during the recent winter carnival. Placings in the listed Coughlan Stakes and the Gr 1 Tatt’s Tiara immediately contributed to her purchase price.
Following a “freshen up” Sweet Deal resumed in a recent barrier trial for Nash Rawiller who reported that she’d never felt better. The bonny mare is juggling race commitments with her upcoming role as a broodmare. “She’ll go away briefly to be served by Zoustar and will then return to the stables to continue her preparation,” said John. “She’ll resume in the Nivison on October 9th and hopefully will do enough to get her into The Invitation on October 23rd. If everything goes to plan we’d love to give her the opportunity to make it back to back wins in The Hunter.”
John Thompson with one of his all time favourites First Seal. This bonny mare won a Gr. 1 and was placed in 4 others - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
Fituese staked an early claim for The Invitation with her stunning second to Entriviere in Saturday’s Sheraco Stakes. Like Chat, Fituese is by prominent stallion Deep Field and boasts the impressive record of seven wins and three placings from just fifteen starts. “She hasn’t won beyond 1100m so far, but looked very strong at the end of 1200m at Kembla,” said John. “We’ll test her at 1400m in the Gr 2 Golden Pendant on September 25th. We’re hoping she’ll catch the eye of the judges.”
Another mare from the Thompson stable to strike form at the right time is More Prophets whose record stands at five wins and six placings from just fourteen outings. The daughter of Smart Missile overcame a slow start to score an impressive win in the Mona Lisa at Wyong on September 3rd - her first success at stakes level.
John has lost a lot of sleep over the enigmatic four year old Mamaragan, winner of only one race from ten starts to date. Several placings in Group company have enabled the quirky galloper to accumulate an amazing $527,050 in prize money. “It’s only a fraction of what he could have earned had he remained focused,” said the trainer. “Early on he was tractable and genuine, winning the Gr 2 Skyline Stakes and placing in the Golden Slipper and Sires Produce.
The quirky Mamaragan got away to a good start with this win in the Gr. 2 Skyline Stakes. Blake Shinn up - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
“He wasn’t the same horse when he returned as a three year old. He wanted to rush everything in his races and on the training track.”
On a few occasions his anxiety brought on a condition called the “thumps” - a spasming of the diaphragm caused by abnormal electrolyte levels. He would get himself into a frenzy and was nearly impossible to train correctly. He was at his worst in the barriers.
“The final straw came when he contested the Fireball Stakes at Randwick in the autumn. He bolted with Hugh Bowman going to the barriers and bolted again in the middle stages of the race where he led by far too big a margin. Following his dismal showing the decision was made to geld Mamaragan and turn him out.”
Following a win and a second at the trials, the “new look” Mamaragan resumed in a pretty slick BM88 at one of the recent Kembla metropolitan meetings. After giving trouble in the barriers he raced far too keenly on the outside of the free wheeling Big Parade who carved out sizzling sectionals. Big Parade won emphatically in course record time while Mamaragan felt the pinch to beat only one home.
John gave the son of Wandjina an easy time for the next few weeks before sending him to the Gosford trials. Rachel King allowed him to amble out of the gates and find his feet in an 800m open trial. After covering a lot of extra ground on the hometurn, he casually rounded up a few pretty handy gallopers to win with ridiculous ease. Two weeks later he contested a 740m scamper at Randwick and showcased his natural ability by sticking close to dual Gr 1 winner Eduardo all the way down the straight. In both trials he was strong without being aggressive.
John Thompson has some nice horseflesh to work with in the weeks ahead and is hoping his recent “trifecta of trauma” has used up all of his bad luck for 2021. A bill of $18,750 is an expensive way to clear his head, but it leaves him free to concentrate on the rapidly improving Chat, his Invitation hopefuls and the repentant Mamaragan who certainly owes him a few favours.
(Banner image - Chat gets a congratulatory pat from Brock Ryan after the Gr.2 win at Kembla - courtesy Bradley Photographers.)