Stephen Thorne (right)© Photo Healy Racing
The name Stephen Thorne will soon become a familiar one on racecards with the ambitious young trainer saddling his first runners at Southwell this evening.
Gaining a wealth of experience with Adrian McGuinness, Ralph Beckett and Mike de Kock, the Shamrock Thoroughbreds founder has now ventured out on his own.
The 93-rated Shamrock Breeze will be the first to represent the Rush native in the opening divide of the Golf And Gallop Package Fillies' Novice Stakes with Tom Marquand a notable jockey booking.
Later on the programme, Oisin McSweeney will don the Shamrock Thoroughbred silks on seven-time winner Hightimeyouwon in the feature Download The At The Races App Handicap.
Thorne has a further three runners declared at Dundalk on Friday and explained: "I only got my licence last week and it's all happening quite quickly.
"We have two at Southwell and three at Dundalk on Friday. I probably won't have much out at the weekend as the ground is gone too soft.
"We'll have one eye on the Dundalk all-weather programme for the winter and we'll see if we can get a couple of winners on the board.
"We'll have to gather up some fresh horses at the upcoming sales and we are open for business.
"The horses have been based with Jack Davison since the middle of the summer and Jack has kindly allowed us to share the yard and the facilities with him until my new base is ready, hopefully next spring or early summer.
"I have 15 in training at the moment and I've a couple of yearlings purchased in the last few weeks. It's a small team to start with and we'll see where it takes us.
"I've a very good young lad called Stephen Mooney who has come back from the UK to assist me. He has been a great asset to me so far and hopefully we'll have plenty of luck together.
"He was an apprentice to Ado (McGuinness) years ago and was an assistant trainer to James Ferguson in the UK for the last number of years.
"They are mainly Shamrock Thoroughbred horses we have, but obviously I'm hoping to attract other sole owners. We’ve set up a few new partnerships with a couple of fresh horses that we purchased recently, including Wizard Of Odds and Sayifyouwill.
"Midream is another one we bought and she was stakes-placed in the UK earlier in the year. She is owned by James Cloney of Clara Stud and he kindly sent her to me. She will start off in a fillies' handicap at Dundalk on Friday.
"I've had some initial support which is encouraging and I’m looking forward to the challenge. It's a fresh start and a new chapter in my life.
"I done the Godolphin Flying Start course and assisted Ralph Beckett in the UK for a year. I also done a year assisting Mike de Kock down in South Africa.
"Obviously then I worked with Ado for the last eight years.
"It's a good time in my life to start out on my own. I'm recently married and I'm just ready to kick on."
