If I weighed 30 stone and waddled towards the Parade Ring at Great Yarmouth I may hear some shout: ‘Hello, Big Fella!’
I’d look around and see it would be Derek Thompson.
I’ve seen Mr. Thompson at the races on numerous occasions including when my girlfriend entered the Best Dressed Lady Competition at Great Yarmouth. Marlene got in the top ten. As we were walking back Tommo said: ‘You should have won!’
No, he wasn’t talking about my chances!
It’s always a racing certainty that Derek Thompson will be greeted with a warm welcome at courses and he is a natural when it comes to Ladies Day. A true entertainer and good bloke. In fact, he is quite comical without realising and some have even noted he is on the same wavelength as Alan Partridge with his advert for Crown Hotel, Bawtry, Doncaster. His comedic quote: ‘Are you well? I thought you were.’
I’ve been following horse racing for over 30 years and Derek has been a race caller as long as I can remember. But let’s learn a little more about his career as a sports commentator.
Derek Thompson was born on the 31st July 1950 at Stockton-on-Tees, Yorkshire, England. His brother, Stanley, was a horse trainer and Derek rode a few races as an amateur jockey. In addition, he used to ride with the local hunt where he met future Grand National winner Bob Champion, who is a lifelong friend.
Thompson was a natural when it came to sport and commentated on a point-to-point race at the age of 15.
In fact, unknown to many, he worked, unpaid, as an assistant trainer for Denys Smith. Later, he move to Chantilly, France, to be assistant trainer to Pierre Sanoner.
At the age of 18, he began broadcasting for a local radio station which led to an opportunity in 1972 working at London for BBC Radio Sport. He worked alongside Peter Bromley and called a few Grand National races over this period.
His big break came when joining ITV in 1981 and appeared on World Of Sport and midweek racing coverage. His career moved forward in 1985 when he joined the newly formed Channel 4 Racing as a presenter until 2012. He and John McCririck were dropped by the newly formed International Management Group (IMG).
These days, Thompson commentates for At The Races and talkSPORT radio.
In recent years, he has suffered from ill health which led to the biography written by Lee Mottershead titled – Tommo: Too Busy To Die, published by Racing Post Books (2014).
A great read.