Horse Racing Community Celebrates 19-Year-Old’s Unconventional Journey Into the Racing Industry

In life, nothing is definite and predictable. Destiny is the thing that takes its course at the right time, even if the circumstance seems to be the dire opposite. This holds perfectly true in the case of the nineteen-year-old Ryan Kavanagh. He left the school to become an electrician but life took him to the yard to become a horse rider.

This unconventional journey to horse racing has an interesting story behind it. The story is filled with hard work, joy, and moments of sadness. Eventually, the journey took him to trophies and wins which were celebrated by the horse community. The boy who lived without any purpose finally got one in the horses.

Ryan Kavanagh’s horse racing beginning

According to Racing Post, Ryan Kavanagh grew up in New Market but never had any inclination towards the horses. Two years ago, he started training to be an electrician. During the pandemic lockdown with nowhere else to go, Kavanagh went to horse trainer Amy Murphy’s yard for some work. According to him, “ I just went down to earn a little bit of money“. There he learned everything from the basics as he was new to the thing. The kid who was clueless about the future had figured out what he wanted. After the enjoyable summer in the yard, he asked Amy about joining full-time to which he agreed. In a few months, Kavanagh learned about trotting to cantering horses. Things were progressing perfectly for him when a tragedy struck the family.

Kavanagh’s older brother Niall was diagnosed with brain tumor and he died within three weeks. It was a tough time for the family but Ryan found an escape from the tragedy around horses. Remembering those days, Ryan Kavanagh said that he didn’t know how to react. The world seemed to be stopped in front of him and he wanted something to distract him from the sorrow. Therefore, he went to work with the horses. Kavanagh continued his work and was surprised when he was awarded the Thoroughbred Industry Employee Award. It was a memorable experience for him to get an award in an industry that is tough and very few newcomers enter it. He acknowledges that such awards boost the morale and push them to do what they do. But, Kavanagh had big dreams and after winning the award he embarked on to achieve them.

Ryan Kavanagh’s horse racing apprentice

Ryan Kavanagh started his jockey apprentice course at the British Racing School. During the course, the more he worked hard, the more he liked the job. He graduated in racecourse gallops and rode challenging horses in Amy’s yard before his maiden horse race. Ryan got his first win in his fourth race in an apprentice handicap at Yarmouth. He rode Raqisa and won by five lengths. Since then, he never looked back. He had 19 starts to date, of which 18 were on Amy Murphy’s horses. Reflecting on his journey he says that he does have time to think of it but it has been amazing.

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The journey to horse racing from an electrical apprentice is nothing short of amazing. But, Ryan Kavanagh’s hard work and passion are taking him to the prime of the sport and so far his journey has been remarkable.

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