Andrew Thornton
Andrew Thornton is a retired National Hunt jockey. He was born on 28 October 1972 in Cleveland, Yorkshire, and went to Barnard Castle School in County Durham. He rode mainly for Caroline Bailey and Seamus Mullins and spent many years as the stable jockey for Robert Alner, among other trainers.
Thornton wore contact lenses while riding, earning him the nicknames Lensio and Blindman. He rode his 1000th winner on Kentford Myth at Wincanton on 26 December 2016. By 2012 he was regarded as one of the best jumps jockeys and was highly respected by his fellow riders.
Because he was taller than the average jump jockey, he rode very low in the stirrups. This helped him in staying handicap chases and hurdles, letting him push a horse from a mile out and finish strongly.
He retired from racing on 6 June 2018. Since then he has worked in broadcasting, including with Sky Sports Racing, and made his Get In debut on 21 January 2022.
Thornton rode many notable horses such as Cool Dawn, Gingembre, See More Business and French Holly, the eight-time winner who won two Grade 1s and narrowly missed the Champion Hurdle in 1999. French Holly died in a schooling accident in 1999, which was a big disappointment for Thornton. He rode winners for trainers including Robert Alner, Seamus Mullins, Evan Williams, Ian Williams, Jamie Poulton, Paul Nicholls, Mary Reveley, John Spearing, Lavina Taylor, Ferdy Murphy and TA Forster.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 12:10 (CET).