A little history

The racing industry is now well aware of the talents of trainer Kevin Ryan. A man who rose from obscurity to become one of Britain's top trainers in less than ten years.

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 winners logged, including 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 while two-year-old Eastern Romance scored a Listed win in France.

The steady stream of Listed and Group winners continued through 2008 with African Skies, winner of the Group 3 Princess Margaret Stakes at Ascot, and Madame Trop Vite, winner of the Group 2 Flying Childers at Doncaster, maintaining Kevin’s remarkable record of having saddled Group or Listed winning two-year-olds for every year since 2005.

Another century was secured in 2009 with Our Jonathan, winner of the Group 3 Cornwallis Stakes at Ascot and the Group 2 Criterium de Maisons-Laffitte in France, was among those to star in a highly successful year.

Kevin Ryan-trained winners flowed relentlessly in 2010, with another century secured while 2011 proved a memorable year for more reasons than one with Kevin posting a record winner tally, amongst which were three Group wins, including Bapak Chinta's Royal Ascot success, an Ayr Gold Cup and his 1,000th winner as a trainer.

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.

List of Achievements

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