Spotlight On: Damien Thornton

By Brodie Nickson

Damien Thornton is the latest interstate jockey to call South East Queensland home in recent months and the dual Group 1-winner has hit the ground running.

Thornton has relocated to South East Queensland and joins his father, Gold Coast trainer Glenn Thornton, younger siblings Boris, and Stephanie and her husband Ben Thompson, who all reside between Brisbane and the Gold Coast.

Thornton’s arrival in Queensland coincided with the end of the Melbourne autumn carnival and the running of the rich QTIS Jewel meeting at Doomben in March.

“I was looking for something different with the Victorian winter approaching and Dad suggested coming up for the winter and trying something new for a while,” Thornton said.

“I thought 'why not’? It has been good.”

The change in lifestyle is a stark contrast to the intense, cold Victorian winter.

“It is a lot easier not racing every day,” Thornton said.

"Racing is only three to four days a week and, in that sense, it is very good.

"It is a little bit of a change from riding seven-days-a-week, which I also quite enjoyed doing.

"It certainly took a little bit of time to adapt to the different lifestyle, but it certainly has its positives.”

Thornton wasted no time stamping his class in Brisbane, becoming a go-to-booking for a host of leading stables.

“I got a few nice opportunities and was lucky enough to take advantage of them,” Thornton said.

Annabel Neasham, Robert Heathcote, Chris Munce and in particular Chris Waller have looked to Thornton on a consistent basis.

Champion trainer Waller often utilises his Gold Coast stable to great effect, especially during the winter carnival, and has built a strong partnership with Thornton.

The pair combined on 42 occasions during the season for six wins (14.3 per cent strike-rate) and nine placings (35.7 per cent).

What adds even more credence to these results is Thornton’s ability to win at big odds, boasting a 47.7 per cent ‘return on investment’ for his supporters.

Thornton also developed a lethal connection with impressive Toowoomba colt Cifrado.

The Rex Lipp-trained two-year-old was sensational, stamping himself as one of Queensland’s leading juveniles during the winter.

The son of Encryption put the writing on the wall with a five-length demolition to break his maiden at Ipswich in April, but it was his scintillating finishing burst to speed to claim the Group 2 Champagne Classic which set tongues wagging.

Thornton produced a peach of a ride through the pack that day after settling three pairs back on the fence.

The pair reunited a fortnight later when surviving a protest to win the Group 2 BRC Sires.

"He is a nice horse. You have got to be good to win those sort of races and he obviously has his fair share of ability,” Thornton said.

"First time I rode him in the Listed Dalrello Stakes, where he ran quite well, and then just improved as he got up in trip.

"He is just a really impressive horse.”

With the Queensland jockey room arguably near the strongest it has been in a long time with the likes of Ryan Maloney, James Orman and Ben Thompson joined by highly touted apprentices Kyle Wilson-Taylor, Angela Jones and Jaden Lloyd, Thornton’s classy addition is another huge boost for the state.

Thornton had already stamped himself as a leading Victorian rider before this season, finishing sixth in the Victorian Jockey Premiership last season, splitting Damien Lane and Jordan Childs.

His hard work, horsemanship and deep love of the horse are a crucial mix behind his success.

With his father already engulfed in the racing industry, Thornton enjoyed all the early exposure to horses he could have wished for.

“I started off ‘showing’ as a kid, which taught me to ride. From there I went into pony club and went into the eventing and three-day events,” Thornton said.

“It has got all the three different disciplines and is quite a lot of fun. I did the Melbourne three-day event three times and loved that.

“If I had time I would love to (get back into it more). I think with the lifestyle up here it is something that could be done, so maybe later down the track. I would love to have another go at it.”

Although he does take some time to do the form on raceday, Thornton prefers to back his horsemanship and ride each horse to the best of his ability.

It is this skill that has helped Thornton produce two brilliant rides to secure Group 1 triumphs.

His maiden Group 1 win aboard the Chris Waller-trained Toffee Tongue in the 2020 Australasian Oaks was a particularly special ride.

Thornton saved all the ground from the back of the field in a rail-hugging ride, holding off a wall of fillies.

He had to wait just over 12 months before notching up his second Group 1 victory, booting home 2021 Thousand Guineas winner Yearning.

Thornton’s calm and collected demeanour that has proven so successful throughout his career drew big praise following the race from one of Yearning’s co-trainer’s, Michael Hawkes.

“He didn’t panic and to be fair a lot of (jockeys) would have panicked,” Hawkes said.

“He really bided his time and put Zouzarella back in its pocket at the top of the straight and the rest is history, obviously.”

Thornton has also lived his long-time dream of riding in the Melbourne and Caulfield Cup.

He entered last year’s Melbourne Cup with a strong hope, combining with the heavily backed Anthony and Sam Freedman-trained Realm Of Flowers, who ran fifth.

“Riding in the Caulfield Cup and Melbourne Cup are quite fun days and I have been lucky enough to have a winner or two on those days,” Thornton said.

Thornton struggled to put it into words what that feeling is like to present his mount at the home straight with 600m to go in the Melbourne Cup.

“I think it is just the adrenaline,” he said.

“I followed Gold Trip into the race and had his back for a while, but just couldn’t go with him.

“It is just a really big thrill.

“It is hard to describe and especially hard to explain to people who haven’t ridden in the race.”

While there's no clear answer as to whether he'll be staying in Queensland beyond the winter, there is little doubt Queensland racing is better for Damien Thornton riding here.