GUNNEDAH Jockey Club holds the second meeting of its Winter Carnival of Cups with the staging of the Gunnedah Gold Cup on Sunday.
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Legendary trainer Bill “Bot” Thompson carried all before him to win many of the races at the same carnival back in the mid-1950s.
Last Thursday the GJC staged its Bective Station Somerton Cup meeting, a nine-race TAB program that also featured the Arthur Gore and Keith Swan Memorials.
Bot attended the Somerton Cup meeting, helping his son, Scott, prepare and race Valatia in the Somerton Cup.
It sparked mighty memories for Bot, who rode there as an apprentice way back in 1955 when he and champion and legendary trainer Arthur Gore carried all before them.
Bot rode 13 winners in 14 races at that three-meeting winter carnival.
“I was apprenticed to Arthur Gore,” he recalled at last Thursday’s Somerton Cup meeting after the Sutton Family Arthur Gore Memorial had been run and won by Coonamble gelding, A Magic Zariz.
“He was a great trainer.
“One year he won the South Grafton Cup, Ramornie and Grafton Cup.”
However 1955 and a golden three-meeting run at Gunnedah remain strong in his memory.
The first of three Gunnedah winter meetings was held June 25.
Young Bot won five of the six races.
“Ran third in the other one,” he said with that renowned twinkle in his eye.
“The next meeting I rode all six, rode the program, then the next meeting in July I rode the first two.”
That’s 13 from 14 – an amazing feat.
Bot rode for a little longer and moved from Gunnedah.
Gore was based at that stage.
He then moved to Quirindi, where he bought a block “near the cemetery” and built stables.
And there he remained.
His riding success transferred easily and impressively to training.
He also became one of the region’s best and most respected and feared trainers over many years.
These days the 81-year-old is happy to strap Scott’s horses at the various meetings around the HNWRA. He will be there on Sunday hoping for a Valatial Cup success, after the horse finished third to Cervinia in this month’s Somerton Cup .
“Dad helps out a lot here,” Scott said at their Fitzroy street stable complex. Used to ride work too until a few years ago when he had a bad fall.”
There have been 191 thoroughbreds have been entered in the Gunnedah Gold Cup meeting in a marvellous response to celebrate the Gunnedah Jockey Club’s 150th year of racing.
