Roy Thompson's treasured lad on the way to town

By Jordan Gerrans

Bungarribee Lad has been a cherished horse to the Thompson family from the first day he was born and now they cannot wait to test the seven-year-old on the big stage later this year. 

Bungarribee Lad won through to the Country Stampede decider on Tuesday afternoon at Bundaberg by claiming the qualifier over 1090 metres. 

Rockhampton’s Roy Thompson has been on the journey with the gelding for every step of his life after his family bred him. 

But, he has only recently taken over the training duties of the son of Bagger Vance after he was previously conditioned by Caloundra’s Liam Birchley. 

Bungarribee Lad’s victory on Tuesday was Thompson’s first as a trainer since way back in June of 2013 and only the second of his tenure in the industry.

“He means the world to us,” the 60-year-old Thompson said.

“He keeps amazing us with what he can do.

“It was a huge thrill for us to run second in a maiden on debut at Dingo (laughs). He is only a tiny horse, but he has the biggest heart. He grew up tough and he races the same way, tough.”

The Thompsons hail from Barcaldine in the Central West and they bred their stable favourite on a Brahman stud surrounded by bulls.

That is how his name came about, with the property being called Bungarribee.

Former leading city trainer Birchley had success with the gelding between 2022 and 2024 before the decision was eventually made for Thompson to take him on. 

“I actually went to college with Roy when I was a teenager out at Longreach, we have been mates for a long time and I know the family extremely well,” Birchley said.

When the Sunshine Coast-based Birchley would send the galloper to Central Queensland or the Central West to race, the part-owner and breeder would look after him.

So, it made sense for Thompson to eventually prepare him under his own name.

“I thought I could have a crack at it myself, again,” Thompson said.

“I stepped out of the limelight for 10 odd years and worked with Liam as we have been mates forever.

“Liam had been teaching me a heap doing his horses, I thought I was going much better with the horses this time around compared to my previous stint training.

“It was a huge thrill to win the race on Tuesday because it a family show for us.

“My daughter and my son come and help me – we have got a good team around us with the strappers and others around the stable.

“The horse seems to respond well to females, jockeys and strappers.

“It was a massive thrill for the entire team to finally get a win on Tuesday.”

When Thompson previously had a licence, he prepared a horse named Ricordo to a Callaghan Park win as his maiden triumph more than a decade ago. 

The returning trainer first took out his licence as a teenager in Barcaldine many years ago now. 

The tough sprinter has been racing on the bush circuit since the middle of July to get enough country starts under his belt to be eligible for the upcoming rich Country Stampede decider.

With apprentice Brooke Johnson doing the steering, Bungarribee Lad edged out Hurricane Hall in a tight finish to Bundaberg’s CS qualifier on Tuesday. 

Thompson describes his galloper as a ‘unique individual’ with the stable's aim just to keep him happy and healthy. 

“He was very tough sitting wide the entire way,” he said of Tuesday's event. 

“It was an extremely tough run on dirt for this horse and now he goes back to the grass, which he absolutely loves. We are quite excited about qualifying.

“He has had really good form, without winning, and lots of horses that have beaten him have gone on to win more races and be very competitive in good races.

“The form around him has been strong but we haven’t had much luck. The addition of the blinkers for this race made a big difference for him.”

The $105,000 Country Stampede Final will be held over 1110 metres at Doomben on Saturday, December 6.

Thompson – who works full-time at a school in Central Queensland – has recently picked up one more galloper for his growing stable. 

Saddles was previously under the care of Leaonie Horstman and Thompson says the gelding has potential and notes he will likely start for the first time for his team in the middle of next month.