John Thompson has come to accept that training racehorses is a rollercoaster, and he is happy to be on the fun part of the ride to start the season.
Last term, the Randwick conditioner saddled up 33 winners, but he also had 46 seconds and 35 thirds in what was a frustrating year.
Since the 2024-25 season kicked off on August 1, the tide has turned and Thompson has had 17 runners in NSW at a winning strike rate of almost 25 per cent.
“It has been a good start. All the placings have turned into winners, which I’m happy to see,” Thompson said.
“We had about 45 seconds last year, and that’s a lot of seconds.
“I don’t know why, you scratch your head. Halfway through the year you’re thinking, what are you doing wrong? And then they all start winning and you haven’t done anything different.
“It’s the way it is, you have good runs, you have bad runs. You just have to keep thinking, it’s a marathon, not a sprint.”
Thompson will have two representatives at Rosehill on Saturday, unheralded three-year-old Clear Proof in the Listed Rosebud (1100m) and Gold Pattern in the Midway Handicap (1500m).
Clear Proof caused a major boilover when he lobbed at odds of $101 to win his Kensington track debut in July but in a positive sign, the next two horses to finish behind him, Axius and Dawn Service, subsequently posted dominant wins.
While the colt blew punters out of the water, Thompson said he knew Clear Proof was above average and the addition of blinkers and a drying track helped.
“We always knew he went well,” he said.
“He had been trialling on heavy tracks and not handling them well, then got on a half decent track in the race and went super.”
While The Rosebud will be at another challenge again, Thompson has been happy with Clear Proof’s progress and is keen to find out where he sits in the pecking order.
“At that level, there is no hiding. We’ll get a picture for where we’re at and it will be interesting to see how he goes,” Thompson said.
“He is very colty, that’s a bit of a worry, but the ability is there and the form around him is really good.
“Hopefully he runs well and we can go from there heading towards the Golden Rose.”
Thompson can also make a case for stablemate Gold Pattern, who he says will be ridden more positively from a midfield draw.
“She has been a bit unlucky drawing wide barriers and getting back,” he said.
“We’ve just got to be a bit more positive in our ride this time.
“She is going well and she could be a big improver, but we don’t want any more rain.”