Ex-jump jockey apologises for crying after selling horse for £630k on 'unforgettable day'

Robert ‘Choc’ Thornton said he’d never cried on the back of a horse but was moved to tears after big-spending football agent Kia Joorabchian bought his filly

A former top jump jockey has berated himself for breaking down in tears after selling one of his boss’s yearlings for a whopping price.

Robert ‘Choc’ Thornton rode more than 1,100 winners and his 16 victories at the Cheltenham Festival included the Champion Hurdle, Champion Chase and Stayers’ Hurdle.

He retired in 2020 to manage Paul Dunkley’s Appletree Stud in Gloucestershire and is also behind the development of the Equishox horseshoe.

Appletree Stud has a small band of broodmares from which horses are bred mostly for the yearling market.

It realised the highest price ever for one of its lots when a Too Darn Hot filly out of a Galileo mare fetched 600,000gns to become the joint top lot on the second day of Book 2 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale.

She was knocked down to agent Alex Elliott on behalf of Al Shaqab and Kia Joorabchian’s Amo Racing.

The surprise success of the sale moved Thornton so much that he was in tears when interviewed afterwards.

"This is more about the boss and girls," said Thornton, who kept breaking off to compose himself. "I thought she’d always make 150,000, maybe 200,000 if we were on a good day. That was shocking.

"This is huge, it makes it all worthwhile. It will give Paul confidence. He’s put an awful lot of money in and possibly not got so much back for what he’s put in.

He added: “This filly always moved well and looked the part, she has taken everything so well. It is brilliant. The mare had another filly by the sire this year, and she is arguably stronger at the same stage, she will be one we keep!"

Thornton, an unmistakable figure with his long curly blonde hair and thick beard, went on to apologise.

“I’m a mess, I’m sorry. I’ve never felt anything like that. I never cried on the back of a racehorse, put it that way. Sorry for being pathetic.”

After watching himself back on X, Thornton posted: “Pull yourself together you big hairy mess Thank you @amoracingltd and @AlShaqabRacing and everyone who supported AppleTree’s filly for a day we will never forget.”

Elliott has helped Joorabchian and his partners spend over £20 million on new recruits at Tattersalls since the sales season began last week.

He said of the Appletree filly, "She has been split between Al Shaqab and Amo, a trainer yet to be decided, but we have a team of trainers who we are very happy with and she will go to one of those.

"Both sides gave her top marks, she is by Too Darn Hot, who is a global stallion now, and she is out of a Galileo mare. She was always going to cost a lot of money."