by Michael Guerin
Gemma Thornley may find herself forced to make a tough decision if the second half of 2025 goes as well as she hopes.
The 25-year-old was the punter’s princess at Addington on Sunday when she reined favourites Belmont Valor and Action Major to win consecutive races before her aunty Olivia Thornley won the very next race for an unusual family treble.
It wasn’t Gemma’s first daily double and she even drove at treble at a deep south meeting a couple of years ago but she acknowledges the importance of taking control of a race when on the favourite.
“I think it is important to prove to people you can do that, handle the pressure of being on favourites and getting them home,” she told HRNZ.
“I might get some recognition for having the family name but on the whole I haven’t had big stable backing in my career so when you do get on favourites you want to show other trainers you aren’t easily intimidated.”
The double takes Thornley to 88 career wins here, a number which would already be a lot higher had she not taken 10 months off last year to work at an equestrian stable in England.
“I loved it and learning news things but I also missed the excitement of driving,” she explains. “So while it was a great experience I am loving being back and this season is going well.”
The question is whether that might be too well as Gemma is already on 21 wins for 2025.
“Ideally I’d like the opportunity to drive as a junior again next season seeing how I missed more or less a year last year. But if I get to 100 wins (career) by the end of the season I probably won’t get my junior licence back.”
“So I might have some thinking to do if I get to like 98 or 99 wins a month out from the end of the season whether I am better off sitting a few meetings out to stay a junior and keep learning next season.”
But Thornley, who these days works for Greg and Ben Hope, also realises she is on pace to get to the 100 career wins mark well before December and couldn’t face sitting out two or more months at such an important time of the year.
“But I will think about that closer to time and I the moment I am just really enjoying my driving and thankful for the support I am getting.”
She wasn’t the only young female starring on a Sunday afternoon at headquarters but the other one was equine in debuntante trotter Request, who took out the first on the card for trainer Ken Barron.
“She is bred to trot well and she does it well, although we still have some tidying up to do on how she corners,” says Barron.
“I think she will keep improving and the long-term aim is the Trotting Oaks at the end of the season if she gets to that level.”
Request is one of 25 horses Barron has in work with more to come in so he is not really sticking to a promise he made to himself to start slowing down a few years ago.
“Ultimately young Sam Thornley wants to buy into the business and eventually I see him taking it over,” explains Barron.
“But he might still be a bit too young to take it over yet and I might not be old enough to retire so we will keep going for a while,” he smiles.