Rossa Ryan joins elite ranks with 1,000th British winner

Rossa Ryan, celebrated a remarkable milestone at Ascot on Friday, riding his 1,000th British winner aboard Blazeon Five in the Colliers Business Rates Experts Handicap for trainer Alan King. 

Ryan who is third place in the 2025 Flat Jockeys’ Championship has ridden 83 winners during the Championship period so far.  

He is currently riding with a strike rate of 14% and for the past two years, Ryan has tallied over 200 winners per annum (201 in 2024 and 202 in 2023). 

Reflecting on his achievement, Ryan said: “It’s great to have ridden 1,000 winners. I’ve had a lot of great support from people; I think the biggest thing is that I have a fantastic agent behind me. All the credit goes to Steve Croft.

Ryan, 26, was born in Ballinderry, County Galway. Since riding his first winner at Lingfield in 2017 at just sixteen, he has gone on to land some of the most prestigious races in horse racing.  

His Group One triumphs include: 

- Pertemps Network July Cup Stakes with Shaquille (2023) 

- Cairn Community Games Pretty Polly Stakes with Bluestocking (2024) 

- Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe with Bluestocking (2024) 

- Prevagen Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint with Starlust (2024) 

Over the past five years, Ryan has forged strong partnerships with some of the most renowned trainers in the sport. He began his career as an apprentice with Richard Hannon, where his talent quickly caught the eye of Ralph Beckett. Since teaming up with Beckett, Ryan has ridden more than 180 winners for him, amassing over £5.3 million in prize money. 

Ryan’s success at the highest levels has earned him a reputation as one of the most exciting jockeys of his generation.