Kevin Ryan

The racing industry is well aware of the talents of trainer Kevin Ryan, who now has over 100 horses stabled in the Hambleton district of Thirsk. Kevin was the first trainer in Britain to break 50 winners in 2006, and pulled off a Derby Day double at Epsom. The year could hardly have gone much better for the man they say has the Midas touch.

However, it wasn't always this easy. The ex-jump jockey from Tipperary initially worked for trainer Jack Berry for seven-and-a-half years, rising to become one of Berry’s two head men. When Jack retired, Ryan had the courage to set up on his own, despite having no backers and no bankroll.

He and his wife Jill, an integral part of the team, found a place to train near Thirsk, acquired eight horses and, in June 1998, saddled the stable‘s first runner. Just one month later, Komlucky was to be their first winner, and the ball was rolling.

Once established, the winners began to flow. The improvement Kevin conjures from exposed or out-of-form horses has long been his hallmark, and Eastern Purple, who won the 1999 Group 3 Greenlands Stakes at the Curragh, was typical. The horse was one of 13 winners Kevin saddled in his first full year training, a tally that more than doubled in 2000.

As owners started to grasp Kevin’s abilities, the yard began to expand. Naturally, so did the winners - a first half-century came in 2002 - most notably with Halmahera, who won the valuable Portland Handicap at Doncaster. A big victory for an up-and-coming trainer - but one that horse and trainer repeated for the next two years, a quite remarkable feat.

Halmahera's third win and 66 other winners made 2004 a year to remember, with Uhoomagoo’s success in Epsom's Vodafone Mile another high point.

These successes brought more horses into the yard, with 39 two-year-olds, none of whom was particularly expensive, racing for Kevin in 2005, a year in which he claimed 84 winners and made the breakthrough at Group 1 level, capping a monumental rise up the training ladder.

Amadeus Wolf provided it in the Middle Park Stakes at Newmarket, earning the joint-third-best official rating of any two-year-old in Europe in the process - not bad for a trainer who had begun with only eight waifs and strays just seven years earlier. Another Group 1 win followed through Palace Episode in the Racing Post Trophy at Doncaster, together with a Group 2 win in France with Balthazaar's Gift.

2006 could hardly have gone any better, with an impressive 96 logged, including a maiden Royal Ascot success, a Group 1 win in the Prix de l'Abbaye and Wi Dud's Group 2 Flying Childers win.

2007 was the year Kevin trained 100 British flat winners for the first time with notable wins in Group 2 Duke Of York Stakes and Ayr Gold Cup secured via Amadeus Wolf and Advanced.

Throughout all of this achievement, the instantly likeable Ryan is consistently modest, keeps his feet planted firmly on the ground and pays endless tribute to his stable team. It’s hard not to be impressed by the man - both statistically and in person - and we are convinced he is the right man to train for Hambleton Racing.

“I'm delighted that Hambleton Racing have chosen to base all their horses with us. We’ve a fantastic team here and I’m looking forward to working with Simon again. He’s one of the best judges I know and a pleasure to deal with.”

List of Achievements

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