Young Guns: Maria Ryan

Young Guns is a series where we endeavour to find out more about some of the young professionals in the industry. We start with Maria Ryan, assistant to Shadwell's Racing Manager Angus Gold.

TDN: What was your path into the industry?

MR: I was lucky enough to live close to Con Marnane's breeze-up operation in Tipperary and this was my first job in racing. I spent pretty much every weekend and holiday from the age of 16 riding in Bansha and attending the sales until I was about 20. This was in between school and university during the season. Con was very good to me and gave me so many opportunities, especially to travel abroad. It was one of my favourite places to work; we worked hard and socialised even harder.

TDN: Who has been the biggest influence on your career?

MR: There were multiple influences on my career to date, not just one in particular. As I was not bred into the industry as such I had to very much make my own way and there were a lot of people who believed in me and helped. The Doyles helped immensely as they were the first people I shadowed at the sales and they gave me exposure and confidence to believe in my own opinions and stick to them. Tom Malone was a very good help in the same way and consignors such as Jacqueline Norris and Eddie O'Leary also gave valuable experience.

TDN: What does your role involve?

MR: My role is very varied and is very much a team effort keeping Angus organised. In a nutshell we help organise and keep track of Sheikh Hamdan's horses in training in both hemispheres; we liaise with trainers and their invaluable secretaries through the season and attend the sales when Shadwell are purchasing and selling. I deal with the naming of Sheikh Hamdan's yearlings and have quite a good vocabulary of Arabic because of it.

TDN: What challenges do you face in your role?

MR: Like in many industries there are many challenges one will face on a day to day basis. I think that once everybody communicates efficiently things will work a lot smoother.

TDN: What advice would you give your 16-year-old self?

MR: Stop skipping class trying to attend the breeze-up sales and finish your degree. Take every opportunity you get and use it to its full potential, keep your head down and work hard and keep a smile on your face, it has helped me for years.

TDN: What do you think is the biggest challenge facing the industry and how would you solve it?

MR: I think one of the most frightening challenges which the industry faces without going into too much detail is the staffing challenge. There are so many trainers for instance who are struggling to find the staff to ride and look after these horses. I think there are many more people much more clever than I trying to find a solution so it is not just as easy as solving it in a paragraph.

TDN: What do you think horse racing's perception is for the general public?

MR: I think the general public may perceive horse racing as a glamorous and social industry. Many of my friends at home are not involved in the industry but very much love attending the races and from their point of view it is a great social event.

TDN: How would you attract more young people into the workforce?

MR: I don't think attracting young people into the workforce is the biggest problem, I think keeping the older and more experienced people is where the problem lies due to a number of factors. There are a lot of young people who have a love for the equine industries and not just in racing. I think if there were more workshops and seminars made available for the schools and young people to attend during their most influential years this would encourage young people to get involved.

TDN: Who is your favorite racehorse of all time and why?

MR: I suppose I would have to say Black Caviar as she was such an exciting filly to watch on the track with such speed and was trained by a legend.

TDN: Tell us something about yourself that not many people would know.

MR: I am pretty sure everyone knows what they need to know about me.

TDN: What would you like to achieve in the next 5 years?

MR: I have always been one for making plans in my head but I struggle to share them with people until I am sure they are going to happen. I am a very driven individual and definitely would like to keep climbing the ladder. I think in the next five years I would like to be managing horses for a big owner in the similar way my immediate boss is doing now, whether that be independently or alongside a trainer.