THOMPSON HEADS TO SYDNEY FOR GROUP 1 ACTION

By Graham Potter | Friday, October 3, 2025

Top Queensland jockey Ben Thompson has got his season off to a flyer landing thirty wins in the last two months and that has been enough to get him the nod from southern trainers to push the envelope, step up his campaign and join the action in the Sydney Everest Carnival.

Thompson has five rides on the ten-race card at Randwick on Saturday … a really good book when you consider just how competitive and highly capable that pool of riding talent is vying for position in every race.

Thompson’s will be chasing Group 1 glory aboard both the Gary Portelli trained Verona Rose in the $1.5 million Epsom and the Chris Waller trained Travolta in the $750 000 Metropolitan.

Verona Rose comes into the Epsom third-up after finishing second last time out in the Group 3 Tibbie Stakes over 1400m at Newcastle, that race distance being well short of Verona Rose’s preferred trip, as can be seen by Verona Rose’s pervious Group 1 results over more ground.

The daughter of Castelvecchio has contested two Group 1 races where, firstly, she finished fourth in the Vinery Stud Stakes over 2000m and then sixth in the ATC Oaks over 2400m … being beaten on both of those occasions … by 3.36 and 2.95 lengths respectively … by no less a star performer than Treasurethe Moment.

Now, with the lightly-raced (only eight starts) four-year-old mare presenting fitter with the benefit of her last two runs and stepping up the distance again to 1600, you would think there might be just a hint of danger in her challenge, but with the likes of the unbeaten Autumn Glow and the Tramway winner Pericles in the field, Verona Rose has been roundly dismissed on the betting boards with $41 currently the odds on offer about her chance of victory.

Travolta, for his part, will line up as one arm of a five-pronged attack on the Metropolitan by the Chris Waller stable.

In his last two starts Travolta finished second in the Listed Tatts Cup and third in the Newcastle Gold Cup, coming home less than a length behind the winner on both occasions.

Travolta is currently on the third line of betting at $9.
Thomson will also ride Handloom for Portelli … a Godolphin owned daughter of Exceed And Excel … in race three, the first two-year-old race of the season for fillies. She too is unwanted in the betting at $51.

Thompson’s other rides on the day include The Matthew Smith trained Idle Flyer in the fifth race where the Dundeel mare will be looking to make it three wins in-a-row. She is the current race favourite … on paper, at least, giving Thompson his best chance to salute on the day.

Thompson will be in action until the end of the day, riding Flying For Fun … a $13 chance … in the tenth race for trainer Bryce Hey.

Two other Queensland based riders will also make the trip to Sydney.

Andrew Mallyon rides Yellow Brick in the Epsom and Robbie Dolan will ride Royal Supremacy in the Metropolitan.

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