Thornton eager to stay on the winning track

Howard Johnson"s stable at Durham in Newcastle has had a quick turnover of jockeys in recent years, with Denis O"Regan the current number one there following the departures of Paddy Brennan and Graham Lee. Another jockey who was part of the Johnson set-up for a while was Meath man Andrew Thornton from Navan. Thornton is delighted that he made the return to the jumps scene this side of the water in 2008 and achieved a significant milestone at his local track before Christmas. When he won a maiden hurdle with Quaretto at the Proudstown track in December it was his 15th winner and that reduced his claim to five pounds. Since his first success on the Irish National Hunt scene in Wexford last July for trainer Mervyn Torrens, he has achieved a steady flow of winners, mainly for Tyrone-based Torrens and local man Pat Martin who is now based at Slane. 'I ride out for Pat a couple of days a week and the rest then with Mervyn, who has about 25 horses near Omagh,' Thornton told the Meath Chronicle. That Wexford handicap hurdle win, on Arondo, was repeated a couple of weeks later on the same horse. Thornton was no stranger to the saddle as a youngster, growing up as he did in the Bective area, where the Maguires were a dominant presence in pony racing. His father and Michael Maguire, brother of Adrian and father of Jason, prepared for pony and flapper races. Hunting was another popular pastime. It wasn"t long before Thornton was bitten by the bug, and over a three to four-year period he rode 300 winners on the pony racing circuit. When he didn"t get the break in the UK, Thornton decided to return to Ireland. He linked up with Ruaidhri Tierney, an agent in Cork, and things took off from there. His biggest win of the season so far was at the two-day meeting at Galway in October, when he rode Kahuna to win the Galway News Handicap Hurdle for Ballinasloe trainer Muredach Kelly. It was a special win as it was also the trainer"s first win. 'It was a 15-length win - I think we were a furlong ahead at one stage,' Thornton recalled. Thornton has also had marvellous success with Martin"s Lucky at Last, which has provided him with three wins in as many months in handicap hurdles in Fairyhouse, Ballinrobe and Bellewstown. 'He"s very tough and hopefully will keep improving,' he added. When he rode Luska Lad to victory for JJ Hanlon in a bumper at Fairyhouse recently, it was the horse"s third victory in as many outings, with Patrick Mullins on board on the previous two occasions. Thornton is delighted to be working with trainers such as Martin and Torrens, who he says concentrates on 'quality, not quantity". He speaks highly of Quartetto, which provided him with his most recent win, in the Santa Claus Maiden Hurdle at Navan, won a bumper at Down Royal last February and performed well in the Champion Bumper at Cheltenham last year which was won by Cousin Vinny. 'After Christmas, he"ll be five year-old, ready for more,' suggested the Meath jockey. And, no doubt, AP Thornton will also be ready for more.