Episode 450: Sara Ryan

John Tapp Racing

With a team rarely exceeding twenty five horses Sara Ryan is able to do things a little differently to the bigger stables. She goes to great lengths to give her horses something to think about other than the grind of training and racing. One beneficiary of her alternative routine is Attractable who propelled her to dizzy heights by winning the Big Dance. We talk to a young lady who first encountered thoroughbreds on the show jumping circuit, and became fascinated with the breed. Sara begins by talking about Attractable’s unusual racing style.

She recalls breaking Attractable in before he went to Peter Moody which gave her a head start when the horse returned to her care at Kulnura.

Sara recalls the tactics she employed in the lead up to the Big Dance.

The trainer talks of her pre race nerves on Big Dance day and the support extended by her immediate family.

Sara takes us back to early days on Sydney’s north shore where a school friend introduced her to horses. She was instantly hooked, and immediately began the task of persuading her parents to buy her a horse.

She looks back on fun filled days with a retired thoroughbred called Onyabob. They became a successful duo on the show circuit.

She talks of riding tuition from former Olympian Vicky Roycroft and the young staff member who caught her eye. Today Sara and Will Matthews share a property at Jilliby. Sara attends to her duties for Domeland while Will engages in his business of buying, educating and trading show jumpers.

Sara explains how she first came under the notice of Domeland Managing Director King Cheng. She transitioned from the office to the role of breaking in and pre-training director. She took to the new job with great relish.

She remembers the day King Cheng offered her a brand new role in the Domeland operation, and admits to being shell shocked.

The trainer says Domeland were happy to allow her to train a handful of her own horses. They actually leased her the horse who would provide her first win.

Sara acknowledges a few special horses who got her up and running in the training ranks.

She takes us through a normal day as Domeland’s head trainer.

Sara talks of the unique Kulnura training property established in the 1980’s by the late Larry Pickering.

She talks of her commitment to riding the majority of her own horses in trackwork, and her long term resolve to training horses.