By Joshua Smith, Harness News Desk
David Thompson is hoping Acento can be rewarded for her consistency at Addington Raceway on Sunday.
The daughter of Gold Ace has placed in her last four starts and she will be vying to break maiden ranks in the Paul Renwick Joinery Fillies & Mares Mobile Pace (1980m) this weekend.
Thompson has been pleased with her recent run of form and said she has just run into better horses on the day.
“She hasn’t been far away,” Thompson said. “They were two nice horses that beat her last week, but she has been going well and definitely makes it easier getting up in the morning.”
Acento has drawn gate six on Sunday and Thompson said driver Robbie Holmes should be able to find a handy position from there if his filly brings her manners.
“She comes off the gate well and as long as her manners are good, she shouldn’t be too far away,” he said.
Thompson will also line-up Ali Lindenny in the NZB Standardbred Trot (2000m).
“She has just had a few problems, just some little things, and she hasn’t been 100 percent, that is why she hasn’t raced much lately,” Thompson said.
“She hasn’t been far away, but there are some nice trotters in that race so she will have to be on her game.”
Thompson has been training for more than 20 years and said he began his involvement in the sport after helping out his brother, trainer John Thompson, after he finished playing rugby for his local club Belfast.
“My brother, John, had a lot of good horses in his time. He used to live in Belfast and he had horses like Bad Luck, who was a Cup horse,” Thompson said.
“I was helping him out and when I finished sport I got into the horses.”
Thompson has posted 52 wins in his training career and said the best horse to go through his barn was Power Of Tara.
The topliner underwent his early education under Thompson’s care before transferring to Barry Purdon’s Clevedon stable where he won the Gr.1 Fremantle Pacing Cup (2902m) Gr.2 City Of Launceston Cup (2698m) and Listed Spring Cup (2200m).
He was then sold to Robert Famularo of Cavalla Bloodstock and returned south to Canterbury trainer Brendon Hill for whom he won the Listed Winter Cup (3200m), Gr.2 City Of Auckland Free-For-All (2200m), Gr.3 Paul Renwick Kitchen & Joinery Centre LTD Free-For-All (2600m, and Listed Maurice Holmes Vase (2600m).
“Power Of Tara won four races for me and ran third in a Group Two (Superstars 4YO Championship, 2600m) before he was sold and went to Barry Purdon,” Thompson said.
“He was a lovely horse. Ray Anicich bred him and Ray had a lot of good horses over the years. He rang me one day when the yearling sales were on and said one of his horses hadn’t sold and he wanted me to break him in for him, and he dropped him off on the way home.
“He won a lot of races in Australia, and then went to America and won races over there.”
Thompson currently works four horses from his Kaiapoi property and said he enjoys getting up in the morning to work his small team.