Our questions are answered by former top Aussie jockey, who won the Cox Plate four times from four rides before riding with success in Europe
Brent Thomson was a prodigiously talented jockey who, when he arrived in Melbourne from his native New Zealand aged 17 to win the 1975 Cox Plate at the first attempt, was christened ‘The Babe’.
The nickname stuck and, over subsequent years as stable jockey to the great Colin Hayes, Thomson rode numerous G1 winners. He went on to win Australia’s weight-for-age championship four times in five years, including in 1979 on top-class Dulcify, aboard whom he had also landed a rare Victoria/AJC Derby double.
Thomson was whisked off to Europe by Robert Sangster and enjoyed seven successful years in the northern hemisphere. As stable jockey to Barry Hills, his G1 victories in Europe included the Ascot Gold Cup (1984), St James’s Palace Stakes (1985) and Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (1986); he also won the 1984 Grosser Preis von Baden on Australian star Strawberry Road.
Thomson enjoyed more G1 glory after he returned to Australia, including a second Caulfield Cup in 1987 and scored a famous longshot victory on Dandy Andy in the 1988 Australian Cup in which champions Vo Rogue and Bonecrusher were defeated.
Also riding successfully in Hong Kong and Macau, where he retied in 2000 aged 42, Thomson took up a role for New Zealand Bloodstock but was recently reported to be making a comeback at the age of 66!
That proved to be an April Fool story – after all, he is in his mid-60s – although Thomson has returned to the saddle to ride out for Ciaron Maher twice a week.
Which racin
g figure past or present do you most admire?
Lester Piggott was the greatest jockey I ever rode against but I was a big admirer of Pat Eddery (left). I thought Pat was a genius on a horse’s back amongst some of the best jockeys in the world.
Pat rode some great horses. Coming from this part of the world I was always rather enamoured to be riding in their company. On a day-to-day basis Pat was so effective, a great tactician and very hard to beat in a finish. He was so confident in his own ability. It came naturally to him.
Which is your favourite venue and race anywhere in the world?
Royal Ascot was the pinnacle and to ride there was like being on the world’s stage. Just to be there was amazing and, as I won the Ascot Gold Cup, I have to put it on top.
But the race would have to be the Cox Plate. I came over at the tender age of 17 and the Cox Plate was literally my first city ride. I am sure I didn’t really know what I was getting involved in. I won it in 1975, 1977, 1978 and 1979.
Who is your favourite racehorse and why?
My last Cox Plate victory was on a horse Colin Hayes trained called Dulcify. He was quite an incredible horse who I think could have held his own on the world stage. He was brilliant over distances between a mile and a mile and a quarter.
He won the Cox Plate by seven lengths, a record margin which stood until it was broken by Winx. Sadly he broke down two weeks later in the Melbourne Cup and had to be put down. I went on to ride in Europe so I know what a good horse felt like. You could make two or three runs on Dulcify, he could switch on and switch off and he had a great sprint finish over a mile.
What is your fondest memory in racing?
My fourth Cox Plate win on Dulcify due to the winning margin and the fact that I had only four rides in the race. That’s got to be pretty hard to beat! I was off to Europe after that and though I returned to Australia, I never rode in the race again.
If you could change one thing in racing, what would it be?
I have great concerns around issues with the whip and the involvement of animal rights people who now have a pretty big voice in the sport, and we are seeing it in other parts of the world too.
It seems to be gathering momentum and we all know if animal rights groups had their way, there wouldn’t be any racing. I am worried where that leads to. I don’t have the answers but I would like to hope that common sense prevails.
Brent Thomson was speaking to Jon Lees
• View the entire What They're Thinking series
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