Thornley notches marvelous milestone in fathers colours

One of New Zealand’s most promising junior drivers notched a tremendous milestone at yesterday’s (18 Dec.) Rangiora Harness Racing Club’s Summer Cup meeting.

Fresh off the back of a runner-up finish in the Australasia Young Drivers Championship in Victoria, Sam Thornley returned home and wasted no time in securing two wins over the weekend to secure his 50th driving success.

Win number 49 came on Friday night at Addington Raceway behind the James & Geoff Dunn-trained South Seas Rock leaving him one shy of the milestone heading into Sunday’s meeting on the grass surface.

He didn’t have to wait long, securing win number 50 in race two with the half-tonne made extra special due to the fact it came behind Madam Ruler (Sir Lincoln), with the four-year-old mare trained by his father Robin Thornley.

“It was a big thrill and especially to get there on the old man’s horse,” said Thornley talking to Nigel Armstrong of Harness Unhinged after the race.

“I have been driving some good horses in the last couple of years which has made a big difference. It’s taken me two- and a bit years after getting a big suspension in my first season, but I learned from that, which is the main thing,” he said.

The young Canterbury junior has really hit his straps in 2022, picking up 33 of his 50 wins in the current season alone and with plenty of meetings in the South Island to close out the summer, you wouldn’t be surprised to see him significantly add to that tally either.

Thornley is becoming renowned for an aggressive style of driving and always giving his horses and opportunity to be put into the race. It’s not all rip, shit and bust, with Thornley having a great feel for tempo in a race and putting his horses into the race and the right time.

The stable employee of Fred Fletcher has had some great mentors to learn from, not the least his own family which includes G1 winning drivers Craig and Olivia Thornley and also his father, Robin. He labelled another as someone who had a lasting impact on his career progression.

“Robbie Holmes was pretty good to me, I went to his place every school holiday for about five or six years and got my first trial drive and learnt how to drive fast work there and he was always great to me,” said Thornley.

“He’s a great person and he always try to help everyone out out there. He’s a very good teacher of people and doesn’t lose his temper, he’s always very chilled out even when you stuff up which is bloody good,” he said.

It shouldn’t come as any surprise given the connection to one of New Zealand’s premier trotting trainers in Fletcher that Thornley admits to having a slight preference towards the squaregaiter.

“I probably prefer the trotters, they have been so good to me throughout my career, and I have had about 200 drives on them for 24 winners. I’ve been pretty lucky with the ones I drive; you just need to steer them in the right direction, and they do the rest.

“Any Group One win would be great and wouldn’t matter, I have to catch up to Olivia (Thornley) now, but the ultimate race would probably be the Dominion,” he said.

As alluded to earlier, Thornley lit up the AYDC competition in Victoria and was desperately unlucky not to win the title. He was leading heading into the final race having won the first two heats, only for his nearest rival to drive a $70 shot to an upset win and leapfrog Thornley to the title in the final heat.

“I got out driven a bit there, but my first three drives were all winners, and it was just a big win to be there.

“It was really good, and I wouldn’t mind giving it a go in the future there one day, but I am getting pretty lucky with the drives I’m getting here at the moment so I will stick here for a bit longer.

“The opportunities over there for the juniors are so good compared to New Zealand,” he said.

With another couple of seasons remaining in his junior career, Thornley points to another aspect of harness racing in which he would ultimately like to pursue having already secured a couple of starters as a trainer.

“I had a starter called Call Me Trouble who won a couple for me in Dad’s name, and he had a few starts under my name, but we sold him to the North Island where he has done an unbelievable job for Zac Butcher. I have had a couple in between times but they haven’t been much good.

“Hopefully I will train a winner in the near future, I have a couple of horses in work at the moment that go alright,” he said.

MADAM RULER REPLAY

For complete Rangiora results, click here.

by Brad Reid, for Harnesslink