Brent Thomson (born 1958 in
Wanganui
Whanganui (; ), also spelled Wanganui, is a city in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand. The city is located on the west coast of the North Island at the mouth of the Whanganui River, New Zealand's longest navigable waterway. Whang ...
) is a New Zealand
jockey, who is best known for winning the
Cox Plate
The W. S. Cox Plate is a Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race for horses aged three years old and over under Weight for age conditions, over a distance of 2040 metres (approximately 1m 2f), that is held by the Moonee Valley Racing Club at Moo ...
on four occasions and his association with the champion horse
Dulcify
Dulcify (14 October 1975– 6 November 1979) was a New Zealand-bred Thoroughbred racehorse. His British-bred sire was the 1970 Irish 2,000 Guineas winner, Decies (GB), a grandson of Pharis (FR), the very important French sire whom ''Thoroughb ...
.
The son of a leading trainer Kevin Thomson, Brent became the champion apprentice of New Zealand at the age of 16.
He moved to Australia as a fresh-faced teenager to further his career earning the nickname ‘The Babe’ from the local racing press.
Settling in Melbourne, he became the stable rider for
Colin Hayes winning three jockey's premierships during his six-year association with the trainer which included wins in these
Cox Plate
The W. S. Cox Plate is a Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race for horses aged three years old and over under Weight for age conditions, over a distance of 2040 metres (approximately 1m 2f), that is held by the Moonee Valley Racing Club at Moo ...
on So Called and the
AJC Derby AJC may refer to:
* Agreement on Journey Continuation, an agreement between European rail operators to allow passengers in case of a missed connection
* Allen Jack+Cottier (AJ+C), an architectural practice
* American Jewish Committee, an advocacy ...
,
Victoria Derby
The Victoria Derby, also known as the Penfolds Victoria Derby, is a Victoria Racing Club Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held under Set Weights conditions over a distance of 2,500 metres at Flemington Racecourse, in Melbourn ...
,
Rosehill Guineas
The Rosehill Guineas is an Australian Turf Club Group One Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds at set weights run over a distance of 2000 metres at Rosehill Gardens Racecourse in Sydney, Australia annually in March. Total prize money for t ...
and the
Cox Plate
The W. S. Cox Plate is a Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race for horses aged three years old and over under Weight for age conditions, over a distance of 2040 metres (approximately 1m 2f), that is held by the Moonee Valley Racing Club at Moo ...
on
Dulcify
Dulcify (14 October 1975– 6 November 1979) was a New Zealand-bred Thoroughbred racehorse. His British-bred sire was the 1970 Irish 2,000 Guineas winner, Decies (GB), a grandson of Pharis (FR), the very important French sire whom ''Thoroughb ...
. He also won many major races riding for other trainers including the
Caulfield Cup
The Caulfield Cup is a Melbourne Racing Club Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race held under handicap conditions, although the Melbourne Racing Club is in the process of turning the race into weight for age (WFA) conditions. This is for all horses ...
on
Gurner's Lane.
A successful stint riding overseas (chiefly in the United Kingdom) followed where he rode more than 100 winners. He also rode the Australian horse
Strawberry Road to victory in the 1984
Grosser Preis von Baden
The Grosser Preis von Baden is a Group 1 flat horse race in Germany open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Baden-Baden over a distance of 2,400 metres (about 1½ miles), and it is schedu ...
Upon returning to Australia, further big race success followed winning a second
Caulfield Cup
The Caulfield Cup is a Melbourne Racing Club Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race held under handicap conditions, although the Melbourne Racing Club is in the process of turning the race into weight for age (WFA) conditions. This is for all horses ...
and an
Adelaide Cup
The Adelaide Cup is a South Australian Jockey Club Group 2 Thoroughbred handicap horse race for three-year-olds and older, run over 3,200 metres at Morphettville Racecourse in Adelaide, Australia on the second Monday in March. Total prize mone ...
on
Lord Reims as well as a famous victory in the
Australian Cup on Dandy Andy who defeated the champions
Vo Rogue
Vo Rogue (12 Nov 1983 - 7 May 2012) was an Australian Racing Hall of Fame Thoroughbred racehorse. He was sired by American-bred Ivor Prince whose racing career ended from injury after just two starts. Ivor Prince was a son of the British cham ...
and
Bonecrusher Bonecrusher may refer to:
* Bone crusher, a machine used to crush animal bones
* Bonecrusher (horse), a New Zealand racehorse
* Bonecrusher (Transformers), a fictional robot supervillain character in the Transformers robot superhero franchise.
* ...
at long odds.
Thomson retired from riding in 2000 but continued to work in the bloodstock industry.
In 2012 he was inducted into the
New Zealand Racing Hall of Fame
The New Zealand Racing Hall of Fame recognises and honours those whose achievements have enriched the New Zealand thoroughbred horse racing industry.
History
The Hall of Fame's first group of honorees were inducted in 2006, and inductions are he ...
and in 2019 into the
Australian Racing Hall of Fame.
See also
*
Thoroughbred racing in Australia
Thoroughbred horse racing is an important spectator sport in Australia, and gambling on horse races is a very popular pastime with A$14.3 billion wagered in 2009/10 with bookmakers and the Totalisator Agency Board (TAB). The two forms of Thoroughb ...
*
Thoroughbred racing in New Zealand
The racing of Thoroughbred horses (or gallopers, as they are also known) is a popular gaming and spectator sport and industry in New Zealand.
History
Thoroughbred horse racing commenced soon after European settlement. The first totalisator machi ...
References
New Zealand jockeys
Australian Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame inductees
People from Whanganui
1958 births
Living people
New Zealand Racing Hall of Fame inductees
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