Thompson now needs just nine more winners to achieve the milestone after winning on Winter Reign at Sunday’s Muswellbrook meeting.

Winter Reign, trained by Steve Hodge, was coming off a fourth at the same track on March 4 and apparently appreciated the freshen up and drop back in distance.

Leading into Sunday’s meeting Thompson had experienced a “drought” without a winner that week.

Thompson has now ridden 3991 winners.

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Cessnock’s O’Neill racing family just missed on a memorable week when Gentleman Joh failed by a long neck to take out the last race at Muswellbrook on Sunday.

Gentleman Joh was finishing all over the eventual winner All Sixes ($31) but found the winning post just short.

The 6-year-old gelding started favourite and was looking for win number seven from 40 starts that included 10 minor placings.

Gentleman Joh is raced in partnership by Mark O’Neill and his wife Elizabeth and his father and mother Mr. and Mrs. Jim O’Neill.

The family would have been hoping for their second winner in the space of eight days after the promising Yeatman won at Newcastle eight days earlier.