John Thompson’s trip to China was more life experience than life changing but it still offered up a couple of professional gems.

The man who has been head trainer for Nathan Tinkler’s Patinack Farm since 2009 still carries the afterglow of his many years learning from Bart Cummings.

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And it shows.

Thompson was in China to prepare a host of horses from the Oceania region for a one-off race meeting last month.

A team from Irish trainer Aidan O’Brien’s powerful yard did the same with some horses from Europe.

“They’re (China) just starting off so there wasn’t too much for me to learn there, apart from watching the European team do their thing and prepare horses for the meeting,” Thompson said.

Asked if there was one thing he learned from the Ballydoyle team, Thompson responded much as Cummings might: “I did but I’m not going to release it.

“But it was interesting how they do things.”

Thompson is doing things alright himself.

In a year when Tinkler appeared to be bailing out of racing only to retain a handful of horses at the 11th hour, Patinack Farm is still making its presence felt.

On Saturday at Randwick they will be represented by Hooked in the Group One Spring Champion Stakes (2000m).

The colt is coming out of what is regarded as the key form race having finished a last-start fourth to Complacent in the Gloaming Stakes.

Thompson doesn’t believe there is much between the current crop of middle-distance three-year-olds and says with luck in running and natural improvement, Hooked is capable of being in the finish.

“He’s run fourth at his past couple of runs and he’s drawn a good barrier on Saturday so he should get a good run from there,” Thompson said.

“That all helps in this type of race where I think they’re a pretty even lot.

“He’s got to find a couple of lengths and if he can do that he’ll be in the money because he hasn’t been too far away.”

The Thompson-trained Gathering was runner-up in the corresponding race four years ago but the trainer said Hooked wasn’t as race hardened.

“It’s hard to line them up. Gathering went into this run with a second behind So You Think so I daresay he had better form than this fella. He was a bit more of a seasoned type of horse,” he said.

Patinack Farm will also chase Group One success in Melbourne with Transporter in the Toorak Handicap.