Researching Robert Thornton

Robert "Chocolate" Thornton (known as Choc) was one of the United Kingdom's leading National Hunt jockeys. After growing up riding hunters with his father (a noted professional Huntsman) he started working for trainer David Nicholson in 1997 as an amateur and after immediate success became a Conditional jockey riding 71 winners during his first season in the sport. He won the Conditional Jockey's title the following year.

After making his professional debut, Thornton’s performance was consistent, if unspectacular, and he consistently featured in the top 10 of the British Jumps Jockey Championship. Thornton’s most successful season was the 2007/2008-season, during which he broke the 100-winner barrier for the first time, by winning 105 of his 597 races.Robert Thornton shies away from the spotlight and he did not talk to the television cameras until he spoke to his owners and trainer.

Robert Thornton’s greatest achievements are all linked to the Cheltenham Festival, at which he showed a knack for riding winners in major hurdles races. Thornton won his first Cheltenham Festival feature race in 2006, when he rode My Way de Solzen to victory in the World Hurdle.

Thornton has since won the Champion Hurdle and Triumph Hurdle. He also achieved good results in some of the Cheltenham Festival’s most prestigious chases, winning the Queen Mother Champion Chase on Voy Por Ustedes in 2007, and the Arkle Challenge Trophy in the same year. Thornton won the Top Jockey title at the Cheltenham Festival in 2007, by riding 4 winners during the meeting. In 2008 he rode three winners including a notable 1st day double. Thornton rode his 1,000th career winner on Araldur at Towcester on 28 March 2011.

He is unrelated to the jockey Andrew Thornton.

His worst moment in racing was when Strong Promise died in the 2000 Martel Cup at Liverpool.

Thornton was born in Edinburgh, Scotland. He was educated at Heriots School and the University of Edinburgh, receiving medical certification from the latter institution in 1884. He moved to Canada in 1884, and received an LL.D. from Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario. Thornton worked as a physician, serving as president of the Manitoba Medical Council (1896) and the Medical Council of Canada. He was also a horticulturalist and an active freemason, serving as Grand Master from 1900 of 1902.

He was first elected to the Manitoba legislature in the 1907 provincial election, defeating Conservative incumbent Edward Briggs by 41 votes in the constituency of Deloraine. Premier Rodmond Roblin's Conservatives won the election, and Thornton served as an opposition member for the next three years. He lost to Conservative John C.W. Reid by six votes in the 1910 campaign.

Thornton returned to the legislature in the 1914 election, defeating Reid by 204 votes. The Roblin government was re-elected, but was forced to resign in 1915 after being found responsible for corruption in the tendering of grants for new legislative buildings. The Liberals, though holding a minority of seats, were permitted to form government, and Thornton was appointed as Minister of Education on 12 May 1915. The Liberals were confirmed in government by a further provincial election, held on 6 August 1915. Thornton again defeated Reid, this time by 295 votes.

As education minister, Thornton oversaw the removal of funding for Manitoba's francophone denominational schools. This policy decision was popular in most of the province, though extremely unpopular in its francophone regions.

The Liberals were reduced to a minority government in the 1920 provincial election, and were weakened by the rise of organized Farmer and Labour political groups. Thornton was again re-elected over Reid, this time by 315 votes, and was retained as Minister of Education in the Norris administration. He was defeated in the 1922 provincial election, finishing third against United Farmers of Manitoba candidate Duncan Stuart McLeod.

Thornton is a three-time major winner between the BDO and PDC, having won the World Masters in 2007, UK Open in 2012, and World Grand Prix in 2015. He is also a former finalist at the Players Championship Finals in 2009 and Grand Slam of Darts in 2013. In addition, Thornton has reached three World Championship quarter-finals across both organisations and was a participant in the Premier League in 2013, 2014 and 2016.