’What am I doing?’: From tears to cheers for trainer Sara Ryan ahead of $3.75 million All-Star Mile
Sara Ryan is cut from a different cloth to most racehorse trainers and it will be another major moment in her young career when Attractable contests the $3.75m All-Star Mile on Saturday.
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Sara Ryan freely admits there are times when she has sat in the shower and cried, trying to deal with the stresses and responsibilities of her unexpected job as a private horse trainer.
But Ryan, who has taken the road less travelled to become a trainer, says it’s all been worthwhile thanks, at least in part, to the performances of her All-Star Mile contender Attractable.
Wyong-based Ryan, 29, is the private trainer for Domeland Racing and developed her skills in show jumping and performance events, spending time with Olympic equestrian legend, Vicki Roycroft.
Ryan initially had no ambition to become a trainer but suddenly has a contender in Saturday’s $3.75m All-Star Mile, with quirky Attractable who won last year’s $3m The Big Dance in Sydney on Melbourne Cup day.
Attractable received an All-Star Mile call-up and Ryan sees it primarily as a warm-up for a probable assault on the Group 1 Doncaster Mile in Sydney.
Her horse seems unlikely to trouble racing freak Mr Brightside, and Ryan would be happy with a top four finish.
But just having an All-Star Mile contender is another watershed moment in her young training career.
“There have been times that I have been sitting in the shower and crying, thinking ‘What am I doing?” Ryan said.
“From the moment I told them (Domeland) let’s do this, I don’t know what my feet look like because I haven’t seen them since.
“Every day there’s something new and it never stops. But I’m pretty tough and you have got to find outlets that you love and for me, that’s going for a surf.
“But I also love riding I find that a release as well.
“If you asked me three years ago would I be where I am today, I would have laughed at you.
“I had no desire to train racehorses, I always just wanted to work with them because I love the animal.”
Ryan teaches her horses the likes of head carriage and the importance of changing legs for superior performance.
She believes these skills assist horses’ racing performances and helped Attractable to win the Big Dance last year before running second in The Ingham.
Thrown in the deep end as a trainer, Ryan has stuck to her key principles.
She says Attractable is a quirky character but she has seen good signs the gelding, once trained by Peter Moody, will run a good race on Saturday.
“Peter used to tell me that you knew Attractable was going to race well when he was being absolutely feral in his track work,” Ryan said.
“And that’s very much still the case. We were trotting him up for the vet this week and he was determined to kick all our heads in.
“So that means he is firing on all cylinders. He doesn’t particularly like the track, he gets bored, he is not super motivated going around the track especially by himself and he won’t put in.
“I have to change his routine up quite a lot. I might ride him in middle of the track just to change things up, or ride him over jumps.”
Attractable is rated a $26 chance in the All-Star Mile and Ryan has studied the history books with an autumn plan in mind for her star horse.
“I went through and had a look at first to fifth in the last five years of the Doncaster and what was their plan, 80 per cent or so all ran in the All-Star Mile,” Ryan said.
“So this race is a perfect lead-up race for the Doncaster.
“Obviously Mr Brightside is a freak and a weapon of a horse, but this race will set my boy up nicely for the Doncaster.”
Attractable is currently a $51 chance in the Doncaster on April 6.
Originally published as ’What am I doing?’: From tears to cheers for trainer Sara Ryan ahead of $3.75 million All-Star Mile
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