John Thomas still kicking goals at Toowoomba

By Glenn Davis

Toowoomba’s John Thomas was just a boy from the bush who used to break in horses before he took up a job working in the coalmines in Central Queensland.

Thomas stayed for 25 years working for BHP in the open cut mines at Emerald and Blackall before he got an itch to try his hand at full-time training.

He was a hobby trainer while working in the mines before he took a voluntary redundancy from BHP in 1999 and rolled the dice to buy his own stables in Toowoomba.

“I’m a born-and-bred Roma boy and I used to work around the western district areas breaking in horses before I took up the job working in the coalmines,” Thomas said.

“I trained as a hobby while I was in the Central Queensland mines as in those days, we did an eight-hour shift which fitted in well with the horses.”

Thomas was licensed in 1975 and hasn’t looked back since moving to Toowoomba.

“I’m just about ready to retire but I really like Toowoomba and it’s been very kind to me,” Thomas said.

“I’ve been at Toowoomba longer than I was working in the coalmines.”

Now 73 years of age, Thomas is a permanent figure around Toowoomba’s Clifford Park racecourse of a morning.

“My stables are right on the track and I’m up every morning at 3am and just have to walk them there and they’re all saddled up," he said. 

“If I’m not finished by 5am each morning, I’m running late.”

He has 13 horses on his books.

Tuhinga will start in the Open Handicap over 1350 metres at Warwick on Thursday.

Tuhinga is owned by a bunch of tradies who go by the name of the 'Lightning Syndicate'.

“They own the majority of horses I have in work and they’re a great bunch of blokes,” Thomas said.

“I don’t get involved with looking at form or anything like that and I leave it all to them and just bill them.

“They bought Tuhinga and his stablemate Expectant for about $20,000 each.

“Both had only won a couple of races before I got them and they’re both in open company now.”

Thomas is confident Tuhinga will be hard to beat in his Warwick assignment.

Since February, Tuhinga - who was formerly trained by Chris Waller - has started seven times for a win and four placings and is coming off a last start third in a 1350 metre Benchmark race at Warwick last month.

“He drew wide last time and I’m getting him ready to run 1600 metres so he should go very close,” Thomas said.