First taking out his training licence during the 1989/90 season, Sandy Thomson has now been in the game for over 30 years. Initially a small-scale operator, Thomson reached double figures in runners only once before 2008/09. However, he began to scale upwards in 2009/10 and now regularly has between 150 and 200 runners per season.
That’s some way below the training titans of the game, who have close to 200 horses under their care, but Thomson is a reliable source of winners throughout the season. Achieving a career-best tally of 29 in 2020/21, he already sits on 17 winners for the 2024/25 campaign and registered a notable success when saddling Decorated Hero to claim the Grade 2 Rossington Main Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham in January.
Here, we look at the stable stars at Lambden Farm and pick out the runners we will follow with particular interest over the second half of the season.
Stable Stars
Dedicated Hero
Recruited from the Irish Point-to-Point scene, this son of Shirocco enjoyed a productive debut season when picking up a pair of Bumper successes at Thomson’s favourite track, Kelso. Sent over hurdles this term, he looked in need of the run on his comeback at Carlisle, but built on that to score at Kelso (again) before a determined effort took him to the Grade 2 winners enclosure following the Rossington Main Novices’ Hurdle at Haydock. He needs soft ground and is unlikely to appear at the big spring festivals, with the Listed Premier Hurdle back at Kelso pencilled in as his next big target.
Mr Incredible
With eight non-completions from 16 appearances, this ex-Willie Mullins-trained nine-year-old doesn’t always live up to his name at the track. A change of scenery doesn’t appear to have ironed out his errant ways, with Mr Incredible refusing to race on his yard debut at Wetherby on Boxing Day. However, if Thomson can get him right, he has a 150+ rated chaser on his hands, who appears likely to have a third crack at the Aintree Grand National as his big target for the season.
Five to Follow
Dedicated Hero is the clear standout performer in the yard, but recent recruit Mr Incredible has the talent to join him - if sorting out his mental issues. Those two are the most likely to strike on the big stage, but there are many other intriguing runners in the Thomson yard, including the following five.
- Carcaci Castle – This nine-year-old reached a mark of 127 over hurdles, which suggests there may be room to manoeuvre in his current chase rating of 117. Whilst he hasn’t shown much in two outings so far this term, the good to soft conditions were all against him on both occasions. He’s one to keep in mind for a 2m handicap on soft or worse going in the coming months.
- Gold Des Bois – Whilst not the horse he was in his 134-rated pomp, Gold Des Bois is beginning to look well-handicapped off a chase mark of 115. Now eleven years old, he showed the fires still burns when scoring over 2m1f at Kelso in November. If kept to a similar trip on good to soft or better, we like his chances of striking again before the season is out.
- I Am Max – Lightly raced sort, who, barring a fall on his only outing over fences, has done very little wrong in his career to date. Progressing all the time, he was an unlucky loser at Haydock in January and can score off a mark of 118 when faced with 2m5f+ and soft ground.
- Imaginary Dragon – Formerly based in France and latterly with William Muir and Chris Grassick, Imaginary Dragon joined Thomson ahead of the 2023/24 campaign. Showing definite signs of ability, he climbed to a mark of 117 over hurdles thanks to solid outings at 2m6f+. Fast forward to 2024/25, and he has slipped to a chase mark of 114 following two outings over an inadequate 2m. One to catch in a handicap when he steps back up in trip.
- The Jad Factor – Another recent addition to the yard, this nine-year-old hit a rating of 100 over hurdles but is now down to a chase mark of 88. Having blown away the cobwebs at Wetherby in December, he won nicely at Newcastle off 84 in January. Given his previous peak rating, he may still have a few pounds in hand and can add to his tally.
Paul Harrison
Falling in love with racing at a young age, Paul’s passion for sports and betting took him to Salford University, where he obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Business Economics with Gambling Studies. Having spent ten years in the employment of a leading bookmaker, Paul opted to go it alone and pursue his dream job as a freelance writer.
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