Latest news with #Redcarracing
Rhyl Journal
21-07-2025
- Rhyl Journal
Tommo – ‘Are you well? I thought you were!', and so much more
My dad, the late Stanley Thompson, he started commentaries in point-to-points and I think it was 1965 and halfway round at Great Ayton he turned the microphone off and said 'I can't see them anymore you take over'. I picked up the microphone and switched on and said 'they go towards the next on the far side' and that's how it started. I never want to go through that again. That was absolutely horrible. It is something I can still remember vividly to this day and it was just awful. Going to Belfast in the height of The Troubles, going into the (Europa) hotel. As soon as I walked in it was 'would Mr Thompson pick up the hotel phone?'. And that's where a voice said 'I'm watching you from the other side of street' and you think 'what?' and do this and do that. We tried to get the horse back, it was just absolutely an incredible time and I talked to the supposed kidnappers of Shergar. I think there were about eight or nine phone calls and it was the last one at half past midnight where I kept him talking for a minute and a half. If I kept him talking for that long they could trace the call, and I said to the policeman who was sitting next to me with the earphones on 'did we trace the call' and he said 'no, I'm sorry the man who traces the call went off shift at midnight'. We never found the horse. I was doing a promotion for a hotel in Bawtry quite a few years ago and I'd done a piece outside the hotel – 'this is the Crown Hotel in Bawtry, let's see what it's like and go inside, blah blah blah' – and walked inside and there were the girls at the bar, they were the people who worked there. They were looking like they were having a drink at the bar and I walked up and I don't know why I said it 'hello, are you well? I thought you were!'. Why on earth would anyone say that? It just went from there, Greg James from Radio One rang me one day and said 'Tommo, it's Greg James here'. 'Greg James? You're Radio One'. He said 'yeah, Tommo I want to ask, are you well? I thought you were' on the radio and it just went on from there. When I handed over from the studio to Bob (Robert Cooper, on At The Races) at Hereford, I just looked at my screen in front of me and I just saw the blonde hair, so I said 'oh, you're with a beautiful woman', he said 'it's a man actually, Derek' and that got to Glastonbury. On the stage in the background were signs in bright letters 'it's a man actually, Derek' – I mean what is that? Greg James was there and he sent me a photo and said 'you're on the stage at Glastonbury'. Crazy. In the year @tommoracing steps down from commentating, a moment to savour at his local track. Cheerleader, owned by Tommo and his wife Caroline -and trained by sister-in-law Tina Jackson – lands the Join Racing TV Now Handicap under @jomason90 at 66-1. Well done, Big Fella! — Redcar Racecourse (@Redcarracing) May 19, 2025 Cheerleader won at Redcar and Catterick. It was my wife Caroline who bought the horse because she wanted to ride and so we put the horse out in the field. She (Cheerleader) just flourished and it was Tina (Jackson), my brother's partner who trains near Whitby, who said 'I think you could race her again, I think she could win'. We weren't going to because we were just going to retire her. Caroline said 'come on, shall we do it' and the horse has won twice. We are so lucky and we've got a few other shares with My Future Champion who are great syndicate guys, so it's lovely to be involved that way as well. We're very lucky, but it's all Caroline's fault! She was the one who said we're going to have this horse. Another time I tried to talk her out of it but she was absolutely spot on, so well done Caroline.' Dubai Millennium. I started commentaries in Dubai with Sheikh Mohammed. Henry Cecil had got me over there and my greatest memory was Dubai Millennium winning the 2000 Dubai World Cup by 10 lengths. I still miss him to this day (Dubai Millennium died aged five due to grass sickness) and whenever I go to Newmarket, I always try to go to where he's buried and I always pay my respects to him. They were the ultimate professionals. People didn't see the work they did behind the scenes, but I did. It was just a joy to watch. I always remember that Big Mac used to wear two watches and I said 'Mac, I've got to ask you after all these years, why do you wear two watches, one on each wrist?'. He looked at me and said 'well, in case one stops'. I suppose it's right because you've got to know exactly what time it is. He was a great journalist and a great broadcaster. He brought something to The Morning Line which you couldn't buy. It was just incredible. I thought he was superb. Alastair Down was a great journalist. He had a way of putting things into words that nobody else could do. Every time I used to read him, I marvelled at the way he expressed himself and it was so good for racing. It attracted a lot of people into racing who were watching it on TV or reading it in print.
South Wales Guardian
21-07-2025
- South Wales Guardian
Tommo – ‘Are you well? I thought you were!', and so much more
My dad, the late Stanley Thompson, he started commentaries in point-to-points and I think it was 1965 and halfway round at Great Ayton he turned the microphone off and said 'I can't see them anymore you take over'. I picked up the microphone and switched on and said 'they go towards the next on the far side' and that's how it started. I never want to go through that again. That was absolutely horrible. It is something I can still remember vividly to this day and it was just awful. Going to Belfast in the height of The Troubles, going into the (Europa) hotel. As soon as I walked in it was 'would Mr Thompson pick up the hotel phone?'. And that's where a voice said 'I'm watching you from the other side of street' and you think 'what?' and do this and do that. We tried to get the horse back, it was just absolutely an incredible time and I talked to the supposed kidnappers of Shergar. I think there were about eight or nine phone calls and it was the last one at half past midnight where I kept him talking for a minute and a half. If I kept him talking for that long they could trace the call, and I said to the policeman who was sitting next to me with the earphones on 'did we trace the call' and he said 'no, I'm sorry the man who traces the call went off shift at midnight'. We never found the horse. I was doing a promotion for a hotel in Bawtry quite a few years ago and I'd done a piece outside the hotel – 'this is the Crown Hotel in Bawtry, let's see what it's like and go inside, blah blah blah' – and walked inside and there were the girls at the bar, they were the people who worked there. They were looking like they were having a drink at the bar and I walked up and I don't know why I said it 'hello, are you well? I thought you were!'. Why on earth would anyone say that? It just went from there, Greg James from Radio One rang me one day and said 'Tommo, it's Greg James here'. 'Greg James? You're Radio One'. He said 'yeah, Tommo I want to ask, are you well? I thought you were' on the radio and it just went on from there. When I handed over from the studio to Bob (Robert Cooper, on At The Races) at Hereford, I just looked at my screen in front of me and I just saw the blonde hair, so I said 'oh, you're with a beautiful woman', he said 'it's a man actually, Derek' and that got to Glastonbury. On the stage in the background were signs in bright letters 'it's a man actually, Derek' – I mean what is that? Greg James was there and he sent me a photo and said 'you're on the stage at Glastonbury'. Crazy. In the year @tommoracing steps down from commentating, a moment to savour at his local track. Cheerleader, owned by Tommo and his wife Caroline -and trained by sister-in-law Tina Jackson – lands the Join Racing TV Now Handicap under @jomason90 at 66-1. Well done, Big Fella! — Redcar Racecourse (@Redcarracing) May 19, 2025 Cheerleader won at Redcar and Catterick. It was my wife Caroline who bought the horse because she wanted to ride and so we put the horse out in the field. She (Cheerleader) just flourished and it was Tina (Jackson), my brother's partner who trains near Whitby, who said 'I think you could race her again, I think she could win'. We weren't going to because we were just going to retire her. Caroline said 'come on, shall we do it' and the horse has won twice. We are so lucky and we've got a few other shares with My Future Champion who are great syndicate guys, so it's lovely to be involved that way as well. We're very lucky, but it's all Caroline's fault! She was the one who said we're going to have this horse. Another time I tried to talk her out of it but she was absolutely spot on, so well done Caroline.' Dubai Millennium. I started commentaries in Dubai with Sheikh Mohammed. Henry Cecil had got me over there and my greatest memory was Dubai Millennium winning the 2000 Dubai World Cup by 10 lengths. I still miss him to this day (Dubai Millennium died aged five due to grass sickness) and whenever I go to Newmarket, I always try to go to where he's buried and I always pay my respects to him. They were the ultimate professionals. People didn't see the work they did behind the scenes, but I did. It was just a joy to watch. I always remember that Big Mac used to wear two watches and I said 'Mac, I've got to ask you after all these years, why do you wear two watches, one on each wrist?'. He looked at me and said 'well, in case one stops'. I suppose it's right because you've got to know exactly what time it is. He was a great journalist and a great broadcaster. He brought something to The Morning Line which you couldn't buy. It was just incredible. I thought he was superb. Alastair Down was a great journalist. He had a way of putting things into words that nobody else could do. Every time I used to read him, I marvelled at the way he expressed himself and it was so good for racing. It attracted a lot of people into racing who were watching it on TV or reading it in print.
North Wales Chronicle
21-07-2025
- North Wales Chronicle
Tommo – ‘Are you well? I thought you were!', and so much more
My dad, the late Stanley Thompson, he started commentaries in point-to-points and I think it was 1965 and halfway round at Great Ayton he turned the microphone off and said 'I can't see them anymore you take over'. I picked up the microphone and switched on and said 'they go towards the next on the far side' and that's how it started. I never want to go through that again. That was absolutely horrible. It is something I can still remember vividly to this day and it was just awful. Going to Belfast in the height of The Troubles, going into the (Europa) hotel. As soon as I walked in it was 'would Mr Thompson pick up the hotel phone?'. And that's where a voice said 'I'm watching you from the other side of street' and you think 'what?' and do this and do that. We tried to get the horse back, it was just absolutely an incredible time and I talked to the supposed kidnappers of Shergar. I think there were about eight or nine phone calls and it was the last one at half past midnight where I kept him talking for a minute and a half. If I kept him talking for that long they could trace the call, and I said to the policeman who was sitting next to me with the earphones on 'did we trace the call' and he said 'no, I'm sorry the man who traces the call went off shift at midnight'. We never found the horse. I was doing a promotion for a hotel in Bawtry quite a few years ago and I'd done a piece outside the hotel – 'this is the Crown Hotel in Bawtry, let's see what it's like and go inside, blah blah blah' – and walked inside and there were the girls at the bar, they were the people who worked there. They were looking like they were having a drink at the bar and I walked up and I don't know why I said it 'hello, are you well? I thought you were!'. Why on earth would anyone say that? It just went from there, Greg James from Radio One rang me one day and said 'Tommo, it's Greg James here'. 'Greg James? You're Radio One'. He said 'yeah, Tommo I want to ask, are you well? I thought you were' on the radio and it just went on from there. When I handed over from the studio to Bob (Robert Cooper, on At The Races) at Hereford, I just looked at my screen in front of me and I just saw the blonde hair, so I said 'oh, you're with a beautiful woman', he said 'it's a man actually, Derek' and that got to Glastonbury. On the stage in the background were signs in bright letters 'it's a man actually, Derek' – I mean what is that? Greg James was there and he sent me a photo and said 'you're on the stage at Glastonbury'. Crazy. In the year @tommoracing steps down from commentating, a moment to savour at his local track. Cheerleader, owned by Tommo and his wife Caroline -and trained by sister-in-law Tina Jackson – lands the Join Racing TV Now Handicap under @jomason90 at 66-1. Well done, Big Fella! — Redcar Racecourse (@Redcarracing) May 19, 2025 Cheerleader won at Redcar and Catterick. It was my wife Caroline who bought the horse because she wanted to ride and so we put the horse out in the field. She (Cheerleader) just flourished and it was Tina (Jackson), my brother's partner who trains near Whitby, who said 'I think you could race her again, I think she could win'. We weren't going to because we were just going to retire her. Caroline said 'come on, shall we do it' and the horse has won twice. We are so lucky and we've got a few other shares with My Future Champion who are great syndicate guys, so it's lovely to be involved that way as well. We're very lucky, but it's all Caroline's fault! She was the one who said we're going to have this horse. Another time I tried to talk her out of it but she was absolutely spot on, so well done Caroline.' Dubai Millennium. I started commentaries in Dubai with Sheikh Mohammed. Henry Cecil had got me over there and my greatest memory was Dubai Millennium winning the 2000 Dubai World Cup by 10 lengths. I still miss him to this day (Dubai Millennium died aged five due to grass sickness) and whenever I go to Newmarket, I always try to go to where he's buried and I always pay my respects to him. They were the ultimate professionals. People didn't see the work they did behind the scenes, but I did. It was just a joy to watch. I always remember that Big Mac used to wear two watches and I said 'Mac, I've got to ask you after all these years, why do you wear two watches, one on each wrist?'. He looked at me and said 'well, in case one stops'. I suppose it's right because you've got to know exactly what time it is. He was a great journalist and a great broadcaster. He brought something to The Morning Line which you couldn't buy. It was just incredible. I thought he was superb. Alastair Down was a great journalist. He had a way of putting things into words that nobody else could do. Every time I used to read him, I marvelled at the way he expressed himself and it was so good for racing. It attracted a lot of people into racing who were watching it on TV or reading it in print.
Leader Live
21-07-2025
- Leader Live
Tommo – ‘Are you well? I thought you were!', and so much more
My dad, the late Stanley Thompson, he started commentaries in point-to-points and I think it was 1965 and halfway round at Great Ayton he turned the microphone off and said 'I can't see them anymore you take over'. I picked up the microphone and switched on and said 'they go towards the next on the far side' and that's how it started. I never want to go through that again. That was absolutely horrible. It is something I can still remember vividly to this day and it was just awful. Going to Belfast in the height of The Troubles, going into the (Europa) hotel. As soon as I walked in it was 'would Mr Thompson pick up the hotel phone?'. And that's where a voice said 'I'm watching you from the other side of street' and you think 'what?' and do this and do that. We tried to get the horse back, it was just absolutely an incredible time and I talked to the supposed kidnappers of Shergar. I think there were about eight or nine phone calls and it was the last one at half past midnight where I kept him talking for a minute and a half. If I kept him talking for that long they could trace the call, and I said to the policeman who was sitting next to me with the earphones on 'did we trace the call' and he said 'no, I'm sorry the man who traces the call went off shift at midnight'. We never found the horse. I was doing a promotion for a hotel in Bawtry quite a few years ago and I'd done a piece outside the hotel – 'this is the Crown Hotel in Bawtry, let's see what it's like and go inside, blah blah blah' – and walked inside and there were the girls at the bar, they were the people who worked there. They were looking like they were having a drink at the bar and I walked up and I don't know why I said it 'hello, are you well? I thought you were!'. Why on earth would anyone say that? It just went from there, Greg James from Radio One rang me one day and said 'Tommo, it's Greg James here'. 'Greg James? You're Radio One'. He said 'yeah, Tommo I want to ask, are you well? I thought you were' on the radio and it just went on from there. When I handed over from the studio to Bob (Robert Cooper, on At The Races) at Hereford, I just looked at my screen in front of me and I just saw the blonde hair, so I said 'oh, you're with a beautiful woman', he said 'it's a man actually, Derek' and that got to Glastonbury. On the stage in the background were signs in bright letters 'it's a man actually, Derek' – I mean what is that? Greg James was there and he sent me a photo and said 'you're on the stage at Glastonbury'. Crazy. In the year @tommoracing steps down from commentating, a moment to savour at his local track. Cheerleader, owned by Tommo and his wife Caroline -and trained by sister-in-law Tina Jackson – lands the Join Racing TV Now Handicap under @jomason90 at 66-1. Well done, Big Fella! — Redcar Racecourse (@Redcarracing) May 19, 2025 Cheerleader won at Redcar and Catterick. It was my wife Caroline who bought the horse because she wanted to ride and so we put the horse out in the field. She (Cheerleader) just flourished and it was Tina (Jackson), my brother's partner who trains near Whitby, who said 'I think you could race her again, I think she could win'. We weren't going to because we were just going to retire her. Caroline said 'come on, shall we do it' and the horse has won twice. We are so lucky and we've got a few other shares with My Future Champion who are great syndicate guys, so it's lovely to be involved that way as well. We're very lucky, but it's all Caroline's fault! She was the one who said we're going to have this horse. Another time I tried to talk her out of it but she was absolutely spot on, so well done Caroline.' Dubai Millennium. I started commentaries in Dubai with Sheikh Mohammed. Henry Cecil had got me over there and my greatest memory was Dubai Millennium winning the 2000 Dubai World Cup by 10 lengths. I still miss him to this day (Dubai Millennium died aged five due to grass sickness) and whenever I go to Newmarket, I always try to go to where he's buried and I always pay my respects to him. They were the ultimate professionals. People didn't see the work they did behind the scenes, but I did. It was just a joy to watch. I always remember that Big Mac used to wear two watches and I said 'Mac, I've got to ask you after all these years, why do you wear two watches, one on each wrist?'. He looked at me and said 'well, in case one stops'. I suppose it's right because you've got to know exactly what time it is. He was a great journalist and a great broadcaster. He brought something to The Morning Line which you couldn't buy. It was just incredible. I thought he was superb. Alastair Down was a great journalist. He had a way of putting things into words that nobody else could do. Every time I used to read him, I marvelled at the way he expressed himself and it was so good for racing. It attracted a lot of people into racing who were watching it on TV or reading it in print.
Glasgow Times
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Glasgow Times
Tommo ‘absolutely thrilled' to cheer home 66-1 Redcar strike
Thompson, who is believed to be the youngest ever commentator on the Grand National when he made his debut at 22, will call his final race in July, the same month he turns 75. Cheerleader is trained by Tina Jackson, the partner of Thompson's brother Howard, and 'Tommo' owns the three-year-old filly with his wife, Caroline. He's spent plenty of time on the racecourse, though this must rank as one of his better days! Well done to owner @tommoracing after 66/1 chance Cheerleader does the business at @Redcarracing 📸 Tony Knapton / — Racing TV (@RacingTV) May 19, 2025 Ridden by Jo Mason, she may have been an outsider in the Join Racing TV Now Handicap but the result barely looked in any doubt as she came home three-quarters of a length clear. 'It was unbelievable. I was absolutely thrilled, it was just a joy to lead the winner in,' said Thompson. 'She's trained by Tina, my brother's partner, and the colours are my old ones that haven't been used for the best part of 40 years. 'Tina looks after them so well. Cheerleader wasn't very well last year. I was involved in the syndicate who owned her (My Future Champion) and they wanted to send her to the sales. In the year @tommoracing steps down from commentating, a moment to savour at his local track. Cheerleader, owned by Tommo and his wife Caroline -and trained by sister-in-law Tina Jackson – lands the Join Racing TV Now Handicap under @jomason90 at 66-1. Well done, Big Fella! — Redcar Racecourse (@Redcarracing) May 19, 2025 'Rather than do that, my wife bought her as she fell in love with her. I told her off actually! She was in tears today, watching it on TV. 'She had six months off in a field, we'd go and see her to give her carrots and apples and when Caroline shouted for her, she'd come running over from one side of the field to the other and just stand there eating everything. 'My brother Howard clocks all the horses on the gallops and a couple of days ago he rang to say she'd done a very fast time and he thought we had a chance, so we had a nice each-way at 66-1!'
