The much admired and well-respected trainer Mick Ryan has died at the age of 80.
Ryan, who was born on May 19, 1941, had held a license to train since 1976, and had won more than 700 races over his long career, both in the UK and abroad.
Ryan was somewhat of a feature around Newmarket, the town where he was born and continued to live and work throughout his life.
His father, Mick Ryan senior, was a stud groom at Woodland Stud in Newmarket.
Mick Ryan junior worked at Greenfield, Newmarket after attaining his training license in 1976, and then moved to Cadland Stables in 1978, where he remained until his retirement in 2005.
Cadland House remains his family’s home, and the yard is now run by his son John Ryan.
“Horses have always been a part of our life from a young age, and everyone mucked in,” said John in a statement reported in the Suffolk News.
“Dad always told me to stick with my education and I even trained to be an accountant for a time, but horses were always in my blood and I was out on the heath riding from the age of 11 or 12.
“Dad was a natural around them and treated every horse as an individual – always taking care to learn their different personalities and he was renowned for his attention to detail.”
Ryan was known for his personality and charisma, as well as his professionalism, and was one of Newmarket’s true characters.
He is remembered fondly by many former jockeys and his fellow trainers.
He is perhaps best known for his work with Katies, the Irish-bred, British-trained thoroughbred who was bought by Terry Ramsden in the 1980s and trained by Ryan to take wins in the 1,000 Guineas race at Curragh in 1984, with odds of 20-1, and at the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Ryan will also be remembered for preparing Royal Heroine, who went on to become the Breeders’ Cup winner, as a juvenile when she won the Princess Margaret Stakes at Ascot in 1982.
The trainer’s other winners on flat included Brady, in the 1982 Garrowby Handicap; Darby Lady, in the 1985 Garrowby Handicap; Mac’s Reef, in the 1986 Racing Post Mile; and Diamond White, in the 1999 Foundation Stakes.
Other notable achievements from Ryan included training the Dutch Triple Crown winner Boxberger Speed in 1982, the Cheltenham Festival winner Motivator in 1986, and the Christmas Hurdle winner Osric in 1987.
Ryan passed away in West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds.
He is survived by his wife Anne, his children John and Sarah, and his grandson Jack.
His funeral will take place at St Mary’s Church in Newmarket at noon on Wednesday, February 23, with a reception afterward at the Heath Court Hotel in the town, starting from 1 pm.
Any tributes can be sent care of Southgate Funeral Directors, Duchess Drive, Newmarket.
