Stewart Thompson

Born in New York, Stewart Thompson got his start galloping racehorses for his father, J Willard Thompson, a thoroughbred horse trainer and former steeplechase jockey. Thompson credits his dad’s racehorses, with their different personalities and assorted ailments, with teaching him how to ride and with helping him to listen and understand their language. Thompson earned degrees in Government and Criminal Justice from Rutgers University and continued to build on his horsemanship skills by riding for trainers Budd Lepman, John Forbes, Dale Capuano, Larry Murray and John Russell.

In 1989, Thompson was hired by the Department of Defense (DoD). According to Thompson, his most rewarding experience was working with Naval Air (NAVAIR) Station's dedicated engineering, legal and contracting personnel and with the Department of Justice to prevent counterfeit/substandard critical safety items (CSI) from being installed in military aircraft. During this period, Thompson galloped horses for Maryland-based conditioners Ferris Allen, Jimmy Murphy, and Tim Keefe. In addition, Thompson rode out for Michael Dickinson’s stable at Tapeta Farm and assisted Dickinson in training horses and in supervising the medication and nutrition programs for his thoroughbreds.

After over 20 years of service, Thompson retired from the Government and took out his trainer’s license in 2010. Based at Laurel Park, Thompson is committed to providing the highest quality care to his horses. Thompson believes that everything, especially results, flows from having laser-like focus on quality. Additionally, Thompson treats each horse as an individual rather than forces the horse to conform to a preconceived training regimen. Thompson puts the horse first.