An Interview with New Trainer Ryan Hatch
‘Now, I've got something similar to give the same energy as I when I was riding,’ muses rookie National Hunt trainer, Ryan Hatch.
As an amateur and conditional jockey, he achieved much. Of Ryan’s 78 winners, 66 were trained by his boss Nigel Twiston-Davies, including two Cheltenham Festival victories on Same Difference in the 2013 Kim Muir and the ’16 Grade 1 RSA on Blaklion. That April, he also won a Grade 1 on Ballyoptic in the Sefton Novices’ Hurdle at Aintree, as well as a Towton Novices’ Chase on Blaklion, the 2016 Imperial Cup on Flying Angel and the 2014 Betfair hurdle on Splash Of Ginge to much fanfare.
Ryan's first winner in his own name: Emerald Time at Stratford in October.
Ryan is second from the right, next to father John who's been his 'biggest supporter'
Photo Credit: Stephen Davies
Yet, this highly successful career was cut short by a crashing fall in 2016. He fractured his C6 and C7 vertebrae at the base of his neck, the T6 vertebrae near his shoulder blade and his sternum and damaged his spinal cord. Though Ryan made a full recovery, these injuries caused him to give up race riding. ‘I was gutted when I had to stop. This December, at the Cheltenham meeting, will be ten years since that happened but it doesn’t feel that long ago.’
In 2023, Ryan won the IJF Progress Award at the Richard Davies Awards for his work as a training instructor with the RMF Group, giving equine management training to the unemployed and prison leavers. Then, in '24, he won the Tutor Award for his continuing education and training role.
Now, Ryan, 33, trains a mile from where he started, along the same Cotswold lane, near Naunton, as the Twiston-Davies team. ‘I exercise the horses on the gallops at Nigel and Willie Twiston-Davies’. They’re good as gallops as you can get, and proven for so many years. I’m confident I can get the horses fit and I never worry that I can't give them everything they need.’
Ryan has also got to grips with the other side of training, portraying a business mind. ‘I’ve sold legs and shares, as well as leasing 5% of horses. It all adds to the workload but it’s a huge part of training.’
Starting his first season training solo in the right fashion, Ryan sent out Emerald Time as his first winner at Stratford on the 5th October. It’s a start but if he can emulate his riding career as a trainer then the future is bright.
‘Hopefully the yard will keep growing and we’ll keep training winners,’ Ryan says. ‘It's really exciting to have it all in my name.’
Originally from Hartpury, Gloucestershire, Ryan lives on the yard with partner Leanne Williamson. She once worked for Nigel Twiston-Davies and Jason Maguire in his pre-training and rehab yard, and now works for their landlady Caroline ‘Caro’ Mackness. They didn't meet at Nigel’s because Ryan had already left, but they met in the Cotswold area. They own Honey, a rescue lurcher cross, and a Margot, a whippet.
Did you have a horsey childhood? Yes, fairly. I was lucky enough to have a pony for the whole of my childhood. I did pony racing but not much Pony Club.
Family connections to racing: My dad, John Hatch, was a jockey and worked within the racing industry up until his retirement. He loves the racing, and he’s always shared every success and is my biggest supporter.
Was it always inevitable you’d become a jockey? At school, none of my friends were into horses so I got side tracked away from riding for a while but I never stopped wanting to be a jockey. That was always my main aim.
Ryan winning the RSA on Blaklion
Photo Credit: Becky Breadin
How did you get into racing? After finishing my GCSEs, I went to the British Racing School and, aged barely sixteen, went to Nigel Twiston-Davies’. My dad had been clipping there and the then-head lad, Fergal O’Brien, said there’d be a job for me.
Racing hero: Growing up, it was AP McCoy. In fact, that era of jockeys was brilliant, and all I wanted to do was ride like them. As you get older, you get different heroes – I admire a lot of trainers, Flat and jumps, now.
Favourite racehorses: From race riding, it was Blaklion for the obvious reasons.
And, now in my own yard, I like them all but I have a soft spot for Emerald Breeze. I bought him privately for not a lot of money – he is rated 120 and is an exciting horse for me to train. He's been placed in all starts and won one at Market Rasen. He'll hopefully be a nice horse for Saturdays.
Favourite racecourses: Cheltenham, because I used to go there as a kid, and it holds the most competitive racing and is where you want to be riding. Stratford and Worcester are both a nice day’s racing in the summer.
How do you reflect back on your riding career? When I was riding, it felt like a lifetime but it really was a short span. I had a great time in a short space of time. When Sam Twiston-Davies was employed by Paul Nicholls, it opened up a great opportunity to step in for him and everything was working really well. I was only 22 when I had the accident but, in that time, I rode two Cheltenham Festival winners, two Grade 1 winners and rode in an Aintree Grand National. I feel lucky to have achieved quite a lot in a short space of time.
Best days as a jockey: Two Cheltenham Festival winners and the Grade 1 at Aintree.
How did you start training? For three years, I worked for a company delivering training to the unemployed, which was a crash course into horses and getting a job. None of the students had were horsey and were from inner cities. Ray, who owned the company, got me to train on the side.
What were your stepping stones in becoming a trainer? I had to be an assistant for two years and spent three weeks at the BRS to do training modules.
Race you'd most like to train the winner of: Any race round Cheltenham.
How did it feel to train the first winner in your name? It was a great feeling and a great start. I bought Emerald Time cheaply and he was placed in a bumper and won three hurdles this summer.
What's it like being back in the Cotswold where it all started? It's great. I know the area well and the gallops. It helps I know plenty of people and have lots of help and give me advice. Warren Marston rides out three times a week and it's a help to have great riders coming in to get the horses fit.
Ryan has high hopes for Emerald Breeze
Best racing celebration: After Splash Of Ginge won the Betfair Hurdle, it was a brilliant night in the Hollow Bottom. The owners went crazy. Thinking back on it always makes me laugh.
Favourite meal: Mussels in white wine sauce.
Favourite drink: Peroni.
Favourite music: I like absolutely all sorts and I play it over and over until I hate it. On the radio, I always have talkSPORT on.
Favourite film: The Departed.
Hopes and dreams for the future: To have plenty of winners, for the horses to keep healthy and for things to keep going well.
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