Tag Archive for: Sandy Thomson

Sandy Thomson adamant protests contributed to fatal fall of Hill Sixteen

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Sandy Thomson has reiterated his stance against animal rights activists who disrupted the 175th running of the Grand National on Saturday, and urged the authorities to take “a much firmer stance”.

Hill Sixteen, trained by the Berwickshire handler, suffered a fatal injury after falling at the first fence in a race that was delayed by almost 15 minutes after protesters got on to the Aintree course and attempted to secure themselves to railings and fences.

The 10-year-old had never fallen in his 26-race career and Thomson felt the delays and the rushed preparation caused by the protesters were a major reason for the race’s total of three fallers, along with five unseated jockeys, over the first two fences.

“I read somewhere that it has been nine years since the fences have been modified and there had been an average of two fallers at the first two fences in those nine years, and yesterday there were eight,” said Thomson.

“I think horses got very wound up and, oddly, not having a parade didn’t help the situation. The jockeys get on the horse and then they have got to parade before going on to the course, to settle them down.

“It is nobody’s fault, everyone was desperate to get the race off and the jockeys were just told to line up and then told not to line up.”

Hill Sixteen had previously raced over the National fences twice, finishing second in the 2021 Becher Chase and seventh in this season’s running of the same race.

Having been walked in the parade ring with a red hood, along with others he was taken back to the pre-parade ring as the authorities attempted to quell the protests.

“We took Hill Sixteen back to the stable and took his saddle off, because we had no idea what was going to happen,” added Thomson.

“We put some water on him to rehydrate him a bit, because it was a warm day. Then suddenly it was all a bit of a rush.

“Ted Walsh was beside us and his horse (Any Second Now) had top weight, so he’d taken the saddle off. He said, ‘Listen, they’re not going to go without us’.

“Everybody was quite hyper and it doesn’t help the horse at all. People can turn round and say that’s a load of rubbish, but it’s not a load of rubbish.

“That’s why we have red hoods, blinkers and cheekpieces and things, just to help keep them in the best frame of mind possible.”

In the aftermath of the fatal fall, Thomson was adamant that much of the blame lay with the protesters, and his view has not changed.

He added: “I stand by what I say, they are totally ignorant about anything to do with horses.

Sandy Thomson slammed the animal rights protests
Sandy Thomson slammed the animal rights protests (John Giles/PA)

“We are getting fed up in this country and somebody’s got to start doing something about these people.

“Most people are going about their lawful business and you get them (protesters) lying on roads and things. We’ve got to take a much firmer stance.

“Unfortunately, with social media and things, it is far too easy for somebody to start a thread up and all these people jump on the bandwagon.

“The other thing, and this is what the MPs have got to work out – you keep hearing that half their mailbag is to do with animal welfare.

“Well, if they really want to deal with animal welfare, they need to sort out where there is real cruelty and the RSPCA will tell you where it is, but they don’t want to hear it – they don’t want to be educated.

Protesters were detained by police at Aintree
Protesters were detained by police at Aintree (Tim Goode/PA)

“Peaceful protest is fine, nobody has a problem with that, but you should not be able to go out and ruin other people’s entertainment. They have no welfare of horses at heart.

“The BHA are in a very difficult situation and I do believe that we in racing, or field sports, or whatever, have to be pro-active.

“I know it is very difficult, because the people who know don’t want to get involved. They are trying their best, but it is a desperately difficult thing to get across, all the welfare checks that are done.

“We have vetting stages, the horses have to be trotted up twice by our vet and the video is sent in, records of any medication all have to be recorded. It doesn’t make headlines and that goes to the complete issue of the thing – education.”

National hope Hill aiming to make it third-time lucky for Thomson

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Sandy Thomson will fly the flag for the Scottish Borders when Hill Sixteen lines up in the Randox Grand National.

The region has a rich racing heritage and the 10-year-old will be the Lambden-based trainer’s third runner in the race as he sneaks into the 40-strong field off a feather-weight of 10st 2lb.

Seeyouatmidnight was sent off at 11-1 as Thomson’s first runner in the Merseyside marathon in 2018 finishing a well-held 11th behind Tiger Roll, before Dingo Dollar rather unfortunately unshipped Ryan Mania when going well at the second Canal Turn 12 months ago.

Now it is the turn of Hill Sixteen, who was beaten a nose in a Becher Chase thriller by Snow Leopardess in 2021 and last seen finishing seventh in the most recent renewal of the renowned dress rehearsal over the famous green spruce.

Although his best form comes with ease in the ground, his two completions over the National fences have the Borders handler dreaming it will be a case of third-time lucky ahead of Hill Sixteen’s turn to face the Aintree starter.

“We’re really looking forward to it and it has been such a funny spring we really could get a soft-ground National,” said Thomson.

“We’ve seen in the Becher over the past two years it has got to be soft for him to stand a chance. We saw last year that on good ground the top-rated horses have a much better chance, but when it turns soft, they have a big weight to lump round.”

The Grand National has been an ever-present in Thomson’s life and from an early age he grew up listening to tales of Scotland’s favourite racehorse – the Reg Tweedie-trained Freddie.

Freddie was sent off favourite for both the 1965 and 1966 Grand Nationals, finishing runner-up on both occasions, while Thomson’s brush with Aintree history stretches back to 1939 silver medallist MacMoffatt who was bred by the handler’s grandfather.

Although John Leadbetter’s Rubstic in 1979 and Lucinda Russell’s 2017 scorer One For Arthur are the only two winners of the world’s most famous steeplechase from north of the border, Thomson is keen to uphold Scotland’s strong association with the race.

He continued: “I have lots of very early memories of the race and we had Freddie just up the road. I was too young then but grew up with the stories of Freddie and my grandfather bred MacMoffatt.

“John Leadbetter won it and the Borders have had a great association with the race, albeit mostly hard-luck stories rather than actually winning it. But we’ve always gone there and been competitive.

“Non-racing people can’t understand how difficult it is to get a horse qualified to run in the Grand National and hopefully this will be our third runner. Some yards have hardly had a runner in the race. It’s a great occasion to be part of.”

Horse Racing – The 2013 John Smith’s Grand National – Grand National Day – Aintree Racecourse
Ryan Mania celebrates on Auroras Encore after winning the Grand National in 2013 (David Davies/PA)

If Hill Sixteen were to march home in front on April 15, it would be an extra-special moment for Thomson with stepson-in-law Ryan Mania set to do the steering.

Mania won the National on Auroras Encore in 2013 and having retired from the saddle in 2014, spent his years away from the weighing room serving as assistant for Thomson’s Lambden Racing operation before returning to the riding ranks with renewed vigour in 2019.

“Ryan’s record round the fences is very good,” continued Thomson. “He was unlucky last year with his saddle slipping round Canal Turn. That can happen to anyone in a race like that.

“The race has changed hugely over the last four or five years. Ryan said after riding in it last year that it’s such a different race now to what is was when he won on Aurora’s Encore.”

Steel toughs it out in Premier Chase prize

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Empire Steel capped a fine day for local handler Sandy Thomson and jockey Ryan Mania when hunting down Le Milos in the dying strides to seal the bet365 Premier Chase.

The race was supposed to put the finishing touches to the Randox Grand National preparations of Dan Skelton’s 10-11 favourite, but it was the locally-trained nine-year-old who bolstered his spring credentials – with a trip to the Scottish National rather than Aintree now likely.

With Le Milos and Wishing And Hoping disputing things on the front end, the chances of the course-and-distance winner looked to have gone when he made a mistake five out and was again sticky at the fourth last.

Victory looked a formality for the race favourite and Harry Skelton was searching for dangers clearing the last. But the Lodge Hill raider start to look weary and with Mania having had time to fill up Empire Steel’s tank, the dashing grey could sense a struggling target was in reach.

He stuck his neck out and responded resolutely to his rider’s urgings and with Le Milos waning with every stride, Empire Steel collared him in the shadow of the post to score at odds of 4-1 and seal a 59-1 double for the Lambden Racing operation following Benson’s win in the Morebattle Hurdle.

“I’m delighted for the horse that he’s won a decent race, we’ve always thought a lot of him,” said Thomson.

“He was very unlucky at Wetherby (Rowland Meyrick, 2021) a year and a half or so ago and it hasn’t quite gone right gone for him since. But he seems to run to get a rating of around 152 whenever he runs round here and has done it again.

“You are always delighted when a horse who has ability gets one in the bag and no one can ever take it away from him.”

The Borders handler was winning the Listed event for a second time following Seldom Inn’s success in 2017 and having taken advantage of those with the Grand National at Aintree in the back of their mind, Empire Of Steel will try to break Thomson’s duck in the Scottish equivalent at Ayr.

“I’ve been lucky Seldom Inn won it, Seeyouatmidnight was third and Hill Sixteen was second, so it was nice to get another winner in the race,” continued Thomson.

“The Shunter won his money and I’m not sure he’s the horse he used to be and although the Skeltons will be annoyed they got beaten, they will be delighted with the Grand National trial that their horse ran.

“If we get 4lb or 5lb and up to around 146, then I would be quite happy and the Scottish National would be the aim.

“The great thing today is he has won on good to soft ground, whereas in the past his better performances were on soft and heavy ground, so I’m absolutely delighted with him and I don’t think you will see him before the Scottish National. There’s nothing really at Aintree that fits the bill and I think the Scottish National will be his sort of race.”

On the big-race double at his local track, he added: “It’s been an unbelievable day. To have one winner is great but to win the two big races here is incredible.”

Benson swoops late to bag Morebattle honours

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Benson pounced late to deliver a telling blow for local handler Sandy Thomson in the bet365 Morebattle Hurdle at Kelso, setting up a potential tilt at a £100,000 bonus if able to quickly follow up at the Cheltenham Festival.

Heading into the contest on the back of clear-cut victory at Musselburgh on New Year’s Day, the eight-year-old was sent off at odds of 11-1 to reward those who follow the Lambden-based handler at his local track.

Kept quiet in rear by jockey Ryan Mania as Irish raider Wajaaha set some hot fractions, he was smuggled into the contest and loomed large as the Lorna Fowler-trained Colonel Mustard hit the front and set for home after two out.

Mania was still to produce Benson as Colonel Mustard’s stride began to shorten jumping the last, but he soon edged past the game Irish challenger with the winning post approaching and the victory was arguably worth a more than the official verdict of two lengths.

Victory now offers connections the chance to add an extra £100,000 to the pot if able to add to this victory at Prestbury Park later this month.

The winner holds entries in both the Coral Cup and Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle, with Coral making the horse a 20-1 shot for both contests.

However, Thomson is willing to bide his time before naming Benson’s Festival assignment.

He said: “The great thing is he has only been out of his box for about four hours, which can make a great difference when you are thinking of going again and we will obviously have to go. You have got to try – how good he is, nobody actually knows.

“I’ve got to speak to the owners and chat about it. He will get into the Coral Cup now – on 134 he was perhaps on the brink and what weight he has and what Ryan can do could influence it. Ryan obviously struggles a bit with his weight, but if he gets 10st 9lb or 10st 10lb hopefully he would be able to do that.

“But firstly we will enjoy today then go home, get all the forms filled in for Cheltenham and take it from there.”

Thomson eyeing Eider prep for National hope Hill Sixteen

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Sandy Thomson is plotting a potential route to the Randox Grand National via the Eider Chase with Hill Sixteen.

The tough staying chaser has not run since finishing seventh to Ashtown Lad in the Becher Chase at Aintree in early December.

His Berwickshire handler saw the 10-year-old drop 2lb in the handicap to a mark of 143, which should be a high enough mark to see Court Cave gelding slip into the National off a low weight.

Thomson is keen to protect that mark and said: “Obviously, we want to go for the National, so on 143, we couldn’t really run him again.

“We thought he would go for the Grand National Trial, but this year it so happens that the Grand National Trial is before the National weights are published.

“So it will either be the Eider (at Newcastle on February 25) – but if it was really soft you might not want to give him a really hard race in that – or it will be the Premier Chase at Kelso (March 4).”

Hill Sixteen was runner-up to Snow Leopardess in the Becher Chase, a recognised National trial, in December 2021, so has plenty of experience over the unique spruce-topped fences.

However, Thomson insists that any thoughts of a run in the extended four-and-a-quarter-mile April 15 spectacular will be dependent on plenty of rain.

“It’s got to be wet enough for him,” said Thomson. “The way these (dry) Aprils have been going recently, we are bound to get a wet one soon.”

Sandy Thomson on weather watch with War Soldier

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Sandy Thomson does not want to suffer a case of Deja Vu as he bids to get a run into promising hurdler War Soldier this weekend.

A late abandonment at Haydock forced the Berwickshire handler to do an about-turn last weekend with Empire Steel and he has therefore made a double engagement for War Soldier on Saturday.

War Soldier will run in  either the Albert Bartlett River Don Novices’ Hurdle at Doncaster or the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham, both Grade Twos, following wins at Newcastle and Haydock this season.

Thomson said: “I’m slightly concerned about the ground at Doncaster, which might get pretty quick and horrible.

“So, we may end up going to Cheltenham, and then I hear they are not out of the woods with the weather. It is ridiculous. I was speaking to someone today and they were minus-7C – and we’re plus 10C.”

Though War Soldier holds an entry in the Grade One Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle at the Festival meeting on March 15, that is not his prime target, according to his handler.

Thomson added: “He is a nice horse and the problem is, what do you do with these horses who win a couple?

“We want to run him this weekend, because the Premier Hurdle at Kelso is obviously where we want to be.

“That will be next, I presume. I know he he has an entry at Cheltenham, but that’s unlikely to happen unless he was to skate up on Saturday. We need to run him.”

Empire Steel, who missed the chance to run in the Peter Marsh Chase on Saturday, will now head to Sandown for the Virgin Bet Masters Handicap Chase on Saturday week.

“We hummed and hawed about putting him in at Cheltenham, but he’ll have to go to Sandown the following week for that £50,000 handicap chase.”