Born on the 2nd of October 1962, Torquil is the seventh child of the late Douglas and Elspeth Riley-Smith. Douglas was Chairman of John Smiths; the brewers in Tadcaster. Both his parents were keen racehorse owners and breeders and had the champion three year old filly of 1967, Parthian Glance. In 1969 they finished 2nd in the 1000 guineas with Hecuba and third in the 2000 Guineas of 1970 with Roi Soleil. Douglas died in 1981 and Elspeth in 1990. In the years after Douglas’s death, Elspeth bred and won with two high class distance horses, Sergeyavich and Princess Sobieska.
Torquil was educated at Harrow and the Royal Agricultural College. In 1985, the family estate in Sussex was sold and Torquil worked in independent local radio at Southern Sound based in Brighton. In 1986 he started his own business supplying Premium rate information services while continuing his love affair with Horseracing. Torquil has owned some 30 horses since then and has had 47 winners on the flat and 1 over hurdles. In 1994 he was amongst the top 15 leading owners in the UK. He won the Vodak Victress Stakes (Listed) on Oaks day and the Ayr Silver Cup in 1995. In 1996 Torquil started another business which ran in tangent with his other Telecoms business, this was sold in 1998.
In 2000 Torquil famously launched the first pan European Gay radio station, LBH.
Since then Torquil has been buying and selling horses for private clients and himself, the last 33 purchases have all won at least one race.
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