First Seal
Twelve months ago John Thompson was overseeing the preparation of an Australian racing contingent that was set to take part in a landmark racing carnival in China. The event was the inaugural China Equine Cultural Festival and broke new ground by becoming the first internationally endorsed thoroughbred race meeting in Mainland China and the richest race meeting in the region in 2013.
The commitment made by Thompson came at a challenging time in his career. The quietly spoken and likable Australian was in transition from being the private trainer for a high profile client to setting up his own stable complete with a range of new owners. His decision to dedicate himself wholly to a ‘Chinese adventure’ was not forgotten and the China Horse Club promised to repay his commitment by supporting his stable.
John Thompson
Prior to Thompson’s departure for China the first of the China Horse Club’s thoroughbreds were in the trainer’s Randwick stable. A further three have followed in the ensuing 12 months. That first racehorse is a filly named First Seal and she made headlines yesterday when winning in Sydney at only her second career start. The Daily Telegraph and Sydney Morning Herald, the two largest selling newspapers in Sydney, dedicated newsprint to her after her win while racing websites were also attracted by what they saw. Notable industry websites Breednet ran a story headlined ‘Future Oaks Queen?’ and led off by asking “Did we see a future Oaks winner at Randwick today? Many good judges believe we have”.
Thompson, for his part, has long held First Seal in high regard but waited until after she won the Daily Press Group Maiden (1100m) to express his thoughts with the wider public.
“I believe First Seal is destined for bigger things,” he said post-race. “Today was a stepping stone. I have no doubt that she will reach the highest level. I have a good opinion of her.
“What probably impressed me the most was her attitude before the race. A lot of the fillies were playing up and she was very cool and walked around the parade ring in total control.”
Much still has to happen with First Seal but the powerfully built filly has the capacity to play a role for both Thompson and her band of owners over the spring. The CHC races the athletic filly in partnership with a series of notable individuals including Dato Yap Kim San, CHC IAC Member Dato Tan Chin Nam, Tunku Ahmad Yahaya and John Chua.
The remaining three racehorses in Thompson’s care are all unraced. Two staying bred three-year-olds are coming along patiently under his care and a two-year-old filly will join the team in the coming weeks.
Thompson can now attest to training winners for the members of the CHC in both China and Australia. And while some of the racing talent that was under his care a year ago is now being readied by the CHC China’s trainer Quinton Cassidy, Thompson remains fond of the horses and the people with whom he shared the 2013 CECF experience.
“Last year was a fantastic experience with some great people,” he said. “To be invited to be the trainer of the Australian horses was a great honour. I had horses from across Australia in my care and to get to know them and understand their needs in a short time but challenging but very rewarding as well. To be able to pull them together and to win a race with a mare like Nassau and to have others run great races was an experience I will never forget.”