Born in Cambridge on December 22, 1964, William ‘Willie’ Ryan is the son of Denis Ryan, who won the Chester Vase on Articulate in 1956 while still an apprenticed. Ryan Jnr. became apprenticed to Reg Hollinshead, renowned for his ‘academy’ for young jockeys, in Upper Longdon, Staffordshire, and rode his first winner, Will George, at Windsor on August 23, 1982. Three years later, in 1985, he followed in the footsteps of fellow Hollinshead alumni Steve Perks and Kevin Darley by becoming champion apprentice, sharing the title with Gary Carter on 37 winners apiece.
Later in his career, Ryan became an integral part of the operation at Warren Place, Newmarket, home of eventual 10-time champion trainer Henry (later Sir Henry) Cecil. In his capacity as second jockey, he officially ‘won’ the St. James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot on Perpendicular on June 16, 1992, but, having been beaten 1½ lengths, the Shirley Heights colt was awarded the race in the stewards’ room, with the first past the post, Kooyonga disqualified and placed third.
Nevertheless, Ryan was promoted to first jockey at Warren Place following the shock retirement of his predecessor, Steve Cauthen, at the end of 1992. He rode his first Group 1 winner for Cecil, King’s Theatre (who would later become a jumps sire of note), in the Racing Post Trophy at Doncaster on October 23, 1993 and his second, Benny The Dip, in the Derby on June 7, 1997.
For outside stables, he achieved further success at the highest level on Court Of Honour, trained by Peter Chapple-Hyam, in the Gran Premio Del Jockey Club Italiano at San Siro on October 15, 1995 and Iktamal in the Haydock Park Sprint Cup on September 7, 1996. Ryan retired from the saddle at the end of the 2004 season, having previously told the ‘Racing Post, ‘I feel that I’ve had my best days as a jockey and the right thing to do is to be honest with myself and the people I ride for.’
