“I’ll wake up one day and say that’ll do me,” was Greg Ryan’s reply when I asked about his likely retirement date on a podcast posted on October 27th last year. Amazingly that fateful day arrived just five weeks later. It was Friday December 4th, and the veteran jockey was booked for six rides at Mudgee. Three of those rides were for Sydney trainer Bjorn Baker who sought Greg’s services whenever he sent horses to meetings on the western line.
Perhaps Pauline Ryan was the only person who knew her husband looked certain to bring down the curtain on an astonishing career. Evergreen Robert Thompson is the only Australian jockey to have ridden more winners than Greg Ryan. Robert passed the 4000 milestone in 2015. Greg emulated his feat as recently as August of last year. The significance of his achievement was best illustrated by a special announcement in the NSW Parliament by Dugald Saunders MP, member for Dubbo.
After winning on Lucky Elixir at Gilgandra the third of four winners on the day. In winning the previous race on Pop Power Greg passed the magical 4000 win milestone - courtesy Janian McMillan Racing Photography.
The 125km trip from his Dubbo property to the Mudgee racecourse would have been one of great nostalgia and mixed feelings. At 54 years of age his nerve was still intact, and his reflexes as sharp as ever. The one thing that had been playing on his mind for several years was the rigid diet he’d been observing from early days. “Whenever I got off the diet during suspensions or injury layoffs, I felt so much better,” said Greg in the podcast.
“As I drove to Mudgee that day I was ninety per cent committed to quitting race riding. I wanted to leave a ten per cent margin just in case I had a change of mind.”
Nobody had noticed he hadn’t taken rides beyond the Mudgee meeting. Perhaps they thought he was on the suspended list or taking a short break. It was business as usual as Greg brought the Bjorn Baker trained Forseti into line for the opening race, a 3YO Maiden over 1100m. He wondered how many times he’d ridden over this sprint course at Mudgee. He looked at youngsters like Blaike McDougall, Aaron Bullock and Mitchell Bell and wondered if they’d still be going at 54.
The remarkable Ryan had to be content with fourth place on Forseti, and a third on Keller’s Shelter in the following race. He was intent on leaving his mark with at least one winner on this final day and didn’t have to wait long. Greg was at his best, as he brought Without Shame from midfield with a perfectly timed run to win a 1200m maiden for Tamworth trainer Sue Grills. The jockey was very mindful of the fact that he’d been riding horses for Sue since the days when her training career began under the tutelage of her late uncle Keith Swan.
Greg was delighted to win on Without Shame at Mudgee for old friend Sue Grills. He'd had a long association with the Tamworth trainer - courtesy Janian McMillan Racing Photography.
It was just another day at the office as Greg completed his commitments for the day - a fourth on Good Time Charlie for old mate Rodney Robb, a fourth on Invincible Dash for Nick Olive, and a well beaten ninth on Bjorn Baker’s Shock Alert in the seventh race. He was without a ride in the final race of the day leaving Shock Alert with the distinction of being his final ride in a race. Imagine the shock that would have been forthcoming had word circulated that the champion jockey had just terminated his iconic riding career.
Greg could be forgiven for feeling a little lost as he placed his luggage into the boot of the car and headed for home, leaving behind a racetrack which had featured prominently throughout his long riding career. His secret was still safe. Not a soul in the racing industry was aware a magnificent riding career had almost certainly come to an end. It was so typical of the man. He wanted no fuss, no bells and whistles, no rowdy farewells.
A penny for his thoughts! Greg comes back to scale on Without Shame on his final day at Mudgee - courtesy Janian McMillan Racing Photography.
Predictably it wasn’t long before the question was being asked at race meetings, trackwork sessions, TAB branches and hotel bars all over the nation. “Where the hell is Greg Ryan?” was the question on the lips of most punters and race fans by the time Christmas rolled around. The humble horseman was happy to talk to anyone around Dubbo who posed the question, but he certainly didn’t draw attention to his surprise retirement.
“I’d be telling fibs if I didn’t say I’ve missed race riding,” said Greg. “For a long time I couldn’t even watch a race on Sky. Even now I see horses I probably would still be riding, and feel I’d like to have another crack. On the positive side I can tell you I’m 8 kgs heavier than I was at Mudgee on December 4th and feel so much better. I’ve got a real lifestyle for the first time in many years. I think Pauline has missed it as much as I have. She managed my rides for years and had a passionate interest in how the horses performed.”
One of the underlying reasons for Greg’s decision to quit the saddle was to have the time to assist son Isaac in the development of his growing Dubbo business. Isaac Ryan is a trained arborist and in a city of 35,000 people there’s a constant demand for his services. “He’s getting plenty of work in tree removal and lopping,” says Greg. “It’s a specialist craft with an element of risk which obviously generates demand. I climb up and have a crack myself from time to time, but only on the easy jobs.”
Greg Ryan’s background as a mechanic has been well documented. He began his indentureship in Wellington before moving to Mudgee for a five year stint. He then returned to Wellington where he spent a short time at a Holden operation before Paul Robertson offered him a position at his busy Ford dealership. After eight years in the trade Greg discovered he could earn more money by working as a stablehand and riding some trackwork at the nearby Macquarie Stud. He was instantly sold on the idea of becoming an apprentice jockey.
Greg was able to arrange an apprenticeship with Wellington trainer Mick Willis who was happy for the budding jockey to take on a day job when stable commitments were finished. Ryan was able to return to his former job at Paul Robertson’s Ford Dealership where his mechanical expertise quickly blossomed. Greg still needed to shed more weight before a professional riding career was remotely possible. His obsession with weight loss triggered incessant “ribbing” from workmates.
“At morning tea time most of the blokes would be gnawing on a cream bun while I’d have a glass of water and an orange,” recalled Greg. “At the height of summer under the intense heat of an iron roof, I’d work all day in the workshop with a sweat suit underneath my overalls. Thank goodness it was all worth it long term.”
Intensive training under experienced mechanics in the Ford Dealership brought out the very best in young Ryan. “I’ve never forgotten the lessons learned in that era, and I’ve enjoyed tinkering with mechanical problems ever since,” he said. “If I can’t get something going straight away I enjoy sitting down and having a good think about a possible solution.”
Isaac Ryan has been the chief beneficiary of his father’s talents. When he started his own business just two and a half years ago, he purchased two second hand trucks which required plenty of attention. Greg spent every spare moment bringing the oldies back to life and currently has them ticking over beautifully. A stump grinder and a veteran “chipper” also respond to the magic of their resident mechanic. Right at the moment Greg is replacing the gearbox in the company utility.
The physical side of overhauling engines and sliding underneath vehicles and machinery has sorely tested the legacy of the many injuries suffered by Greg in thirty years as a professional jockey. “When I look back at some of the heavy busters over the years I’m grateful to be doing the things I’m doing,” he says. “I’ve got some arthritis in both hands and a bit of soreness in both hips but thankfully my knees are in great shape. For now I’m handling it well.”
Of the many falls in which he’s been involved he rates an early crash at Forbes as the worst. “I just clipped the heels of Jamie Whitney’s mount in the early stages and down I went,” recalled the multiple premiership winner. “Four broken ribs, fractured sternum, punctured lung and a massive internal bleed was the end result. They had to bring a specialist from Orange Hospital to drain the excess blood from my lung. I don’t know what instrument she used, but it felt like a bloody corkscrew when she shoved it between my ribs.
“I then spent four days in intensive care at Orange Hospital after which I made a good recovery. The horse I was riding that day must have been a bumble footed thing. He’d fallen the start before and fell at his next start with another jockey. I had a number of spills in later years but that was easily the most damaging.”
A lovely candid shot by Janian McMillan at Dubbo 13/09/2020. Riders are about to mount for the Maiden Plate. Greg Ryan and Mikayla Weir are amused by a background distraction - courtesy Janian McMillan Racing Photography.
Greg was 25 years old when he made his professional riding debut. His first win was really only half a win - a dead-heat in a Cl 5 at Wellington in February 1991. The judge was unable to separate his mount Standard Time and Accumulo with Billy Aspros on board. “Billy was dominant in the west at the time,” said Greg. “He’d ridden the first five winners on a six race card and I actually cost him a clean sweep. Mind you I absolutely slaughtered my horse. Even the Chief Steward Ned Dougherty gave me a dressing down after the race.”
Nobody at Wellington that day thirty years ago, could have envisaged the career that lay ahead of the Wellington mechanic.
Eleven times he’s been NSW champion jockey, five times leading Australian jockey and twenty two times leading NSW country rider. He broke Darren Beadman’s state record as far back as 1997/98 and posted his personal best figures in 2002/2003 with an amazing 216 wins - a national record.
“If I had to pick a career highlight I’d plump for a NSW premiership win in 2000/2001 which gave me an Australian record,” Greg recalled. “When I could see that this was my chance for a national record, I pulled out all stops and travelled to tracks way out of my territory. I was probably fired up by a lot of media attention. The final meeting of the season was at Coffs Harbour and I started the day level with Allan Robinson’s record of 207.5 wins established in 1998/1999.
“I had a full book of eight rides but a second and a third was the best I could do in the first seven races,” said Greg. Local trainer Ken Lantry had supplied me with several rides on the day including Idealistic in the last race, a Cl 3 event over 1600m. We were last of 16 runners coming to the turn and I’d already given up on the record. I pulled him out on straightening and he charged home to win, running away by two lengths. I’d bettered “Robbo’s” record by just one win.”
Ken Lantry who’s still training a small team from a Maitland base vividly recalls the day. “I knew how important the record was to Greg, and I think I was more nervous than he was on the day,” said Ken. “I didn’t completely give up on Idealistic in the run because he could produce a big finish when he had a soft run. It was great to be a part of Greg’s special day.”
Greg is about to go into the barrier on Divine Jewel at Narromine 16/08/2020. The mare went on to win - courtesy Janian McMillan Racing Photography.
Another achievement to give the Dubbo jockey enormous pleasure is his four win haul in the Wellington Boot - three for his great supporter Pat Farrell and the most recent on Miss Invincible for Bjorn Baker in 2018. “I just love that race meeting,” says Greg. “It’s a half day holiday in town and the atmosphere at the track is electric. I still regard Wellington as my home town which makes it even more special.”
Greg makes no secret of the fact he would have loved to add a Group 1 to his record, but concedes it’s a nigh impossible task when you’re country based. He’s adamant however that he should have won a Group 1 race during his four months stint in Sydney in the late 90’s. John Hawkes put him on Pursuits in the 1998 Epsom in which he finished fifth only half a length from his stablemate Dodge. “I was half over the fence most of the way down the straight,” Greg recalls. “My boot was torn to pieces and a couple of my toes were bleeding when I pulled up. The horse was jogging going to the line. That was the Gr 1 I should have won.”
Greg rode a power of trackwork during his stay which resulted in rides from high profile stables. He rode winners for Gai Waterhouse, Bart Cummings, John Size, Graham Rogerson and Graeme Begg and greatly valued the experience. “I couldn’t settle into city life and I’ve got to say my heart was never in it,” says Greg. “Pauline and I couldn’t get back to the bush quickly enough.”
Great friends and great rivals! Greg Ryan on the winner Bengalla Bay and Matthew Cahill on the unplaced Hope Island immediately after the BM66 at Narromine 16/08/2020 - courtesy Janian McMillan Racing Photography.
He says he hasn’t completely dismissed the possibility of a comeback but admits the chances are diminishing with every passing day. An offer to ride an up and coming “bush champion” might tempt the veteran to reconsider his options, but the odds of another Rising Prince or Tullmax emerging are lengthy.
I hope this report satisfies the curiosity of the countless Greg Ryan supporters who’ve been acutely aware of his absence from the riding ranks. What a legacy this man leaves behind after three magnificent decades in the saddle. His standing as one of the best jockeys of his generation is exceeded only by his reputation as a true gentleman of the turf.
Over the years many of Greg’s mounts started under the odds because of the loyalty of an army of punters around Australia. Content in the knowledge that the “Dubbo Dynamo” would give them a run for their money, the fans were happy to cop the “unders” from time to time. Greg’s spectacular tally of 4035 career wins suggests many of those punters went home happy more often than not.
One of Greg Ryan's 4035 winners - Hillandale at Scone 2020. He was the punter's pal! - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
(Banner image - Without Shame goes down in racing history as Greg Ryan's final winner. The gelding had a short neck to spare over One Aye (Blaike McDougall) - courtesy Janian McMillan Racing Photography.)