It was a day to remember for Ivan Ryan who partnered his first winner between the flags when guiding the Dermot McLoughlin-trained Lillys Girl to victory in the older maiden at Tattersalls last month.
From a family steeped in racing, the 18-year-old only had his first ride in the point-to-point sphere back in January last year.
Name: Ivan Ryan
Age: 18
From: Oldtown, Co. Dublin
First Winner: Lillys Girl - Tattersalls
How did you get started with horses?
I started off from a young age riding ponies show jumping, working ponies and hunting. I was at that until 2020.
My cousin is married to Conor Maxwell and he took my twin brother James and I under his wing and we started riding out his pre-trainers. Conor also got me into Dermot McLoughlin’s. That was the first racing yard that I was in and I rode out there any day that I could for a year-and-a-half.
I am now in Jim Dreaper’s, I am there four days a week and I am with Peter Flood for another day.
I am with the Dreaper’s just over a year now and Thomas has been a great help. He has thrown me up on everything schooling wise and has put me in contact with lots of people to get experience. He set up for me to go to Peter and has been very good to me.
Do your family have a background in the sport?
My mother Mairead would have evented up to Olympic level and my father Kieran would have done near the same. He would also have hunted too and was at that up until last year and my twin brother rides on the flat for Tom McCourt.
We have a big yard at home for half-bred’s, so whether it was racing or not, it was always going to be horses for the two of us.
What was it about racing that was the attraction?
I would have always watched racing, it was always something that I loved, but when I got the buzz from starting to ride a racehorse I haven’t looked back since. I love the speed of it and the jumping.
With your twin brother riding on the flat, did you ever consider going that route?
The two of us went for our licences around the same time but I was always a stone heavier than him. I could have started on the flat but I would have been sweating every day and I always had a bigger interest in jump racing, it was an easy decision.
You picked up an injury last season which didn’t come at a good time.
Yes, I had a fall at the point-to-point in Fairyhouse five weeks before my Leaving Cert and broke both of my wrists. It wasn’t the best timing.
I was in with Mr. Kenny in Blanchardstown Hospital and he knew that mam was anxious to get me right for the exams so he pushed to get me right as soon as he could.
Luckily I was able to write for my maths exam, and then I just used a scribe for English and all those papers with longer questions. It wasn’t too bad in the end so I didn’t mind it.
I am full-time at the horses now. I am in Jim’s in the morning and then at home most of the afternoon’s. We would have a lot of showing horses, horses for hunting and a good few young thoroughbreds too that will be sold as store horses. I also still go down to Conor Maxwell’s yard in Stamullen for two afternoon’s.
How did the ride on Lillys Girl come about?
Dermot had rang me earlier in the week to ride the horse. Before the original fixture in Tattersalls was cancelled Dermot had taken her for a jump and gallop and said that she was fit and that they half-fancied her to run well once she settled.
The plan on the day was to make the running, Dermot had left that instruction with me, but chatting to the lads inside there were five lads who wanted to make the running, so when I told Dermot’s Head Lad Collie he said to ride her as I wanted. I ending jumping off at the back and hunted around and we picked them off one by one. She won easily at the end to be fair to her. There was no nicer person to ride my first winner for than Dermot. I had a great start in Dermot’s and he was a big help getting me schooling on horses.
Bar Oldtown, Tattersalls would be my nearest track and so it was nice to do it there because my mother has worked in Tattersalls either full time or part time all her life and we would be good family friends with Edmund Mahoney.
My parents and brother were there which added to it, but in fairness I don’t think the father would miss any point-to-pointing.
What are your ambitions for the rest of the season?
I started the season hoping to try and get the monkey off my back with the first winner, so now it’s just trying to build up the contacts and try ride as much as I can. I am getting my amateurs licence for the track as I am only 9st 5lbs so I am light enough to claim off bottom weight. It would be great to get another couple of winners.
Who would be your biggest influence in racing?
Conor Maxwell was a big influence with all the help he gave us starting out. He gave us a great head start. He made us work for it but it was worth it in the end. If anyone was looking to start in racing I would send them straight to Conor, he is a great coach.
But only for my father we would not have got going in racing, so he has been a very big influence too.
Is there another young rider that you think people should watch out for?
I am good friends with Norman Williamson’s son Josh. He would have the same background as me and I would say he is someone to look out for. He is only 16 and starting out now, he has had two rides in bumpers for Gordon Elliott and is one to watch.
