What really sets Thomson apart at this stage of a training career is the quality of those winners, not just the quantity. Two of the yard's victories have come in Class 1 races — the highest level in British racing, where the best horses in the country line up. One of those came at Kelso in March 2023, and the other at Haydock Park in January 2025. Landing a top-level race once might be fortune; landing two at different venues over two different seasons suggests a trainer who knows how to place a horse well and get the best out of it on the biggest days.
The relationship with jockey Brian Hughes is worth paying attention to. Out of 25 rides together, Hughes has ridden 7 winners for the yard — that's a win rate of 28%, or better than 1 in every 4. To put that in context, even the very best trainer-jockey partnerships in the sport rarely sustain numbers like that over a meaningful sample of rides. It points to a genuine understanding between the two: the right horse, the right race, the right man in the saddle.
Four years in, 96 winners, two wins at the top level, and a win rate that is still climbing — Thomson is a trainer who looks to be hitting a stride. For anyone who follows the sport, this is the kind of yard worth keeping an eye on as it grows.
| Course | Races | Wins | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kelso | 45 | 4 | 8.9% |
| Ayr | 22 | 1 | 4.5% |
| Musselburgh | 18 | 3 | 16.7% |
| Carlisle | 16 | 2 | 12.5% |
| Hexham | 16 | 2 | 12.5% |
| Perth | 14 | 0 | 0% |
| Newcastle | 12 | 2 | 16.7% |
| Catterick Bridge | 6 | 2 | 33.3% |
| Wetherby | 5 | 2 | 40% |
| Sedgefield | 2 | 0 | 0% |
| Haydock Park | 2 | 0 | 0% |
| Aintree | 1 | 0 | 0% |
| Doncaster | 1 | 0 | 0% |
| Cheltenham | 1 | 0 | 0% |