Top jockey turned pundit Andrew Thornton is selling his gorgeous Georgian home

“It’s a picture postcard house but what brings me great joy is that the box hedge lining the path is traditionally cut on Derby Day,” he laughs.

Run on the Flat, the Derby at Epsom is one of the highlights of the racing calendar but Andrew, now a racing pundit, is best known for his stellar performance as a much-loved jump jockey who clocked up 1,006 winners in a 28-year career. His most famous victory was on Cool Dawn in the 1998 Gold Cup.

The evidence of his past glories are inside the house in the “racing room” – a huge space that is full of his trophies and photographs, and doubles as a formal dining room. It can also be used as a self-contained annexe, which is a great selling point now that Andrew and his wife Yvonne, are selling their village farmhouse. It is on the market for £795,000 with Croft Residential.

Andrew and Yvonne, a florist, bought the property seven years ago after relocating from Highclere in Berkshire. “I wanted somewhere accessible but rural with a sense of community because I am a country lad. This house is a five-minute drive to Thirsk and Ripon, with easy access to the A1 and it’s a 10-minute drive to a station with trains to London,” says Andrew.

Since buying the Grade II listed home, the Thorntons have insulated the walls and installed new windows and a new kitchen, while sensitively modernising and retaining the period charm.

The property has a hall, breakfast kitchen, sitting room, drawing room, dining room, snug and pantry. Upstairs is a principal bedroom, a bedroom with en-suite, two further bedrooms and a house bathroom. Outside, there is parking, a double garage, large gardens and a terrace.

Andrew, who grew up on a farm near Sedgefield, and Yvonne are selling with heavy hearts as they love the house but want “a pony and a paddock” for their six-year-old son Harry.

“We love this house and we would not be moving if we didn’t want more land. Yvonne and I both grew up on farms and had the opportunity to ride and we want that for Harry.

"We won’t be moving far because we love this part of Yorkshire. We just want a place with a paddock and a few acres because we want Harry to have the opportunity we had.”

“My sister and I began by riding on a Shetland pony. It was a proper little monkey and we loved it.” The rest is racing history.

Village Farm House, Rainton, near Thirsk, is £795,000. Contact: Croft Residential, tel: 01904 238222, www.croftresidential.co.uk