Known for his determined riding style, Graham Thorner was Champion National Hunt Jockey just once, in 1970/71, when he interrupted the winning sequence of Bob Davies, who won the title jointly, with Terry Biddlecombe, in 1968/69 and on his own in 1969/70 and 1971/72. Thorner spent the whole of his riding career with Tim Forster, having joined the ‘Captain’ straight from school, as a 15-year-old, in 1964.
He rode his first winner, Longway, at Newton Abbott in 1966, turned professional the following season and at the time of his retirement, in 1979, had amassed a total of 650 career winners. Thorner and Forster enjoyed a fruitful association at Old Manor House Stables in Letcombe Bassett, near Wantage, Oxfordshire, with numerous high-profile winners, including Mocharabuice in the Mildmay of Flete Challenge Cup in 1972, Denys Adventure in the Arkle Challenge Trophy in 1973 and, away from the Cheltenham Festival, Royal Marshall II in the Hennessy Gold Cup in 1974.
Their highest-profile winner of all, though, was Well To Do in the 1972 Grand National. Saddled with just 10st 1lb in the world famous steeplechase and therefore in receipt of 27lb from the favourite, L’Escargot, Well To Do was the subject of a gamble, from 33/1 to 14/1, the day before. He duly obliged, coming with a well-timed run to beat the 1970 winner Gay Trip by two lengths.
