Ben Thompson back with a bang

Ben Thompson is back with a bang!

Having returned to the Sunshine State after completing a riding contract in Hong Kong, Thompson could not have announced his arrival in a more compelling fashion, making a clear statement of intent by bringing home five winners over the first weekend of the new racing season.

It was trainer Rex Lipp who gave Thompson his first winner of what many believe will be a season in which Thompson will be a lively contender for the Brisbane Jockey’s Premiership.

Redzoust was the horse in question at Eagle Farm on Saturday, with Thompson rallying the chestnut son of Zoustar after he had been well out of his ground turning for home.

Redzoust duly swept up quickly along the inside to snatch the honours away from a line of duelling runners, stretched across the track, whose jockey’s would have thought they were battling it out for first place.

They would not have seen Redzoust, coming until it was too late.

Next, Thompson upped the tempo at the Sunshine Coast on Sunday, bringing home no less than four winners on the eight-race card.

There are two particular points of interest here … firstly, that Thompson’s five winners were on horses saddled by four different trainers … Rex Lipp, the Gillian Heinrich, Ben Rodgers training partnership, Stuart Kendrick (times two) and Paula Barron.

Over the two days of racing, Thompson actually rode for eight different trainers, confirming that there will be no shortage of demand for his services.

That was, in truth, always going to be a given before he got his first leg up for the season, but when you have been away for a while, nothing can be taken for granted.

Secondly, these were the starting prices of Thompson’s five winners … $17, $6.50, $2, $8.50 and $8.

There was only one favourite in there and certainly no ‘gimmes’, so these prices highlighting the fact that Thompson was not receiving any early favours from big trainers or short-priced horses.

He had to earn this early season success.

The talk about the possibility of Thompson landing a maiden Brisbane Jockey’s Premiership in the 2025/26 season might seem premature on the one hand, given the marathon distance still left to go in the Premiership, but when you factor in that the last time Thompson rode a full season in Brisbane he came away with ninety-three winners and a second place Premiership finish behind Jimmy Orman, the idea is certainly not far-fetched.

And there remains another, as yet, not fully known, but likely positive factor, that is likely to come into play.

You would almost be prepared to take the bet that Thompson’s time in the saddle in Hong Kong will have turned him into a better rider on several levels.

You just don’t ride against the likes of Zac Purton, High Bowman and Karis Teetan in one of the most competitive racing precincts in the world without toughening up and learning a great deal more about jockeyship, and yourself.

Maybe we have saw a bit of that influence already over the weekend.

No doubt this story will have plenty more to come.