by Ayers Ratliff, Northfield Park Publicity Department

Northfield, OH — Jason Thompson scored the 1,000th win of his career while driving Miss Riley in Northfield Park’s opening race on Monday (May 18).

They returned $14.60 to win after sitting the pocket and using a stretch kick to the victory, stopping the clock at 1:57. The time represents a new lifetime mark for the 5-year-old trotting mare.

JJ Zamaiko photo

Fellow driver Aaron Merriman (right) congratulates Jason Thompson on his 1,000th victory.

Thompson became interested in racing at an early age. He often rode with his grandfather John Dyer to various tracks to watch harness racing. Jason’s first job in the industry was cleaning stalls for Sophie Zubkoff (Twaddle).

Jason drove his first race in 1996 and finished seventh at the Paulding County Fair behind Pleasant Jerry in a $2,000 claiming race. The 36-year-old Thompson remembers his first win as being behind Mr Morris in 1997 at the Van Wert County Fair in a $1,000 overnight event.

Mike Wolfe was the largest mentor to Thompson when he began driving regularly.

“Mike gave me a lot of good advice and pointers,” said Thompson. “He helped me and taught me a lot.”

Thompson says the best horse he has ever driven was Midnight Jewel. His fastest win was behind Tug River Claude at Colonial Downs in 1:51.2. To date, Jason Thompson has not only won 1,000 races but has earned purses totaling more than $3.5 million.

In addition to driving on a nightly basis, Thompson trains a stable of three horses with his long-time girlfriend Kerry Merriman.