Bought for £22,000. Winner of two Group races. Sold on to race abroad and turn a serious profit for his owners. That is the story of Atomic Force, and it is exactly the kind of result that has defined Kevin Ryan’s career.
Search for Kevin Ryan racing and you will find entries pages, a Wikipedia entry, or paywalled form data. None of them tell you what it is actually like to own a share in a horse he trains, or how a yard that started from nothing in 1998 became one of the most decorated in British racing.
This is that story, and a practical look at how to get involved.
Who is Kevin Ryan and where does he train?
Kevin Ryan’s full training record speaks for itself, but the starting point matters just as much as where he ended up. Kevin trains from Hambleton Lodge, close to Thirsk in North Yorkshire, a yard fitted with a water treadmill, a treadmill and a covered barn, and handily placed on the major road networks for visiting owners.
From a standing start to championship level
Kevin Ryan started training in June 1998 and saddled his first winner just three days later. There was no famous training dynasty behind him, no head start. Everything that followed was built from that first winner onwards.
Over two decades at the top of Yorkshire racing
More than 20 years on, Kevin has trained for Hambleton owners the entire way, with Washington Heights among the notable winners carrying Hambleton’s colours in recent seasons. British racing has few names more consistent.
What is Kevin Ryan’s record as a trainer?
The numbers are hard to argue with. Kevin has trained over 2,000 winners and counting, saddled more than 50 Group race winners, and sent out 16 Group 1 winners across his career.
Royal Ascot and the biggest handicaps
Kevin has won at Royal Ascot 11 times, and added the Ayr Gold Cup to his record on five separate occasions. The Grey Gatsby, one of his finest horses, won the French Derby and the Irish Champion Stakes in the same season and finished the year as Europe’s top-rated horse.
A yard that keeps producing
That is not a one-horse story. Hello Youmzain won the Diamond Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot at Group 1 level, and Emaraaty Ana added Group 1 and Group 2 form of his own, including a victory in the Sprint Cup. Season after season, the winners keep coming from the Kevin’s yard.
How does Kevin Ryan find value at the sales?
Anyone can spend big at the sales. What sets Kevin Ryan apart is a genuine eye for a bargain that turns into a Group performer.
The Atomic Force story
Atomic Force was bought for just £22,000. He went on to win two Group races and was later sold to race abroad, delivering a significant profit for the owners who backed him from the start. It is not a fluke. Kevin’s reputation for sourcing quality cheaply at the yearling and breeze-up sales is one of the main reasons Hambleton has worked with him for over 20 years.
What this means for syndicate owners
A trainer with this level of judgement gives every owner a fairer shot at a season worth remembering. No honest syndicate would ever promise a winner, but it does mean the horses arriving at Hambleton Lodge have already passed a serious test before a single race is run.
What is it like to own a share in a Kevin Ryan-trained racehorse?
Ownership with a trainer of this calibre means the biggest days in racing are a real possibility, not a distant hope.
Beating America at its own game
In 2020, Kevin’s Glass Slippers became the first European-trained horse ever to win the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint, adding to a career that already included three Group 1 wins. That is not a domestic result. It is a British trainer beating the best that American racing could put up, on American soil, and Hambleton owners were there behind him.
The Fair Play Ethos in his yard
Every Hambleton owner in a Kevin Ryan syndicate pays the same for the same experience. You keep 100% of any prize money, your share is insured as standard, and you receive two complimentary owners’ and trainers’ badges every time your horse runs, with no hidden extras along the way.
How do you join a Kevin Ryan racehorse syndicate?
Getting involved starts with getting in early, because demand for shares in Kevin’s horses rarely lasts long.
What a share costs
Hambleton’s equal one-twelfth shares typically start from around £3,000, with all-inclusive monthly payments currently costing £311. Kevin’s latest syndicate sold out quickly, which is often the case with his horses.
How to get started
Because Kevin’s shares tend to go fast, the best first step is to register your interest so you hear about the next opportunity before it is publicly listed. You do not need any racing experience to get involved. Hambleton guides you through every step and handles the admin, so you can simply enjoy owning a racehorse trained by one of the country’s most consistent yards.
A trainer worth backing
A standing start in 1998, over 2,000 winners since, and a rare eye for turning a £22,000 yearling into a Group performer, Kevin Ryan is exactly the kind of trainer Hambleton Racing was built to partner with. He is one of the proven trainers in Hambleton’s roster, each bringing their own strengths to the syndicate.
Register your interest to hear about the next Kevin Ryan opportunity, request your free brochure to find out more about racing from the other side of the fence, or call the team on 0800 321 3271.