Ryan Mania

Last updated

Ryan Mania
Occupation National Hunt jockey
Born (1989-12-23) 23 December 1989 (age 33)
Galashiels, Scotland, United Kingdom
Major racing wins
2013 Grand National
Significant horses
Auroras Encore

Ryan Mania (born 23 December 1989) is a Scottish National Hunt jockey from Galashiels, [1] most famous for winning the 2013 Grand National on the Sue Smith-trained Auroras Encore, at starting odds of 66/1.

Contents

Early life and career

Mania was born in 1989, in Galashiels, Scotland to joiner Kevin and mental health worker Lesley Mania, who first sat him on a Shetland pony aged three. [2] He began working with point-to-point horses aged 12, and rode for Peter Monteith and subsequently for Howard Johnson, before Johnson lost his trainer's licence at the end of 2011.

At this point he left jump racing to work for his local hunt, the Fife Foxhounds as whipper-in. [3] But over the winter, he started feeling he was missing out after seeing horses running which he had ridden previously and, encouraged by his agent, Bruce Jeffrey, he returned to ride for Sue Smith. [3] [4]

2013 Grand National

Mania had his first ride in the Grand National in 2013, [5] and was the unexpected winner, riding 66/1 outsider Auroras Encore, and winning by nine lengths. As a 23-year-old, he was one of the youngest people to ever win the Grand National, and was also the first Scottish jockey to win the race for 117 years. [3] He had previously been beaten by a head on the horse in the 2012 Scottish Grand National. [4]

He made further headlines through a fall on a different horse for Sue Smith the following day, which saw him airlifted to the Royal Victoria Infirmary hospital with suspected neck and back injuries. [6] It was later discovered he had fractured a vertebra at the base of his neck. [4] He returned to race riding on the first day of the Scottish Grand National meeting at Ayr on 19 April 2013. [7]

Retirement

Mania announced his retirement from riding in November 2014 at the age of 25, citing problems maintaining his riding weight as the main reason and saying that he no longer got a "kick out of winning" [8] After retiring from jump racing he worked as a kennel huntsman for the Braes of Derwent Hunt [9] [10] and as master huntsman for the Berwickshire hunt. [11]

During his retirement he rode in a charity race at Aintree, the scene of his Grand National triumph, in aid of the Countryside Alliance. [11] He also had a spell as assistant trainer to Sandy Thomson, a National Hunt trainer in the Scottish Borders. [12]

Comeback to racing

Mania made his comeback as a National Hunt jockey in October 2019, citing improvements in sports nutrition which allowed him to manage his weight more effectively than previously, as well as family influences and rediscovering his appreciation of the sport. [12] [13] The first race of his comeback was aboard Fair Minx at Ayr with his mount finishing seventh of ten runners. [14]

Mania rode Hill Sixteen at the 2023 Grand National who fell at the first fence and died almost immediately from their injuries. [15]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tony McCoy</span> Northern Irish jockey

Sir Anthony Peter McCoy, commonly known as AP McCoy or Tony McCoy, is a Northern Irish former National Hunt horse racing jockey. Based in Ireland and Britain, McCoy rode a record 4,358 winners, and was Champion Jockey a record 20 consecutive times, every year that he was a professional.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red Rum</span> Irish-bred Thoroughbred racehorse

Red Rum was an Irish champion Thoroughbred steeplechaser. He achieved an unmatched historic treble when he won the Grand National in 1973, 1974 and 1977, and also came second in the two intervening years, 1975 and 1976. The Grand National is a notoriously difficult race that has been described as "the ultimate test of a horse’s courage". He was also renowned for his jumping ability, having not fallen in 100 races.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Graham Lee (jockey)</span>

Graham Lee is a successful Irish jockey, operating in Great Britain and Ireland. He was initially a National Hunt jockey, but changed codes mid-career and now operates as a flat jockey.

The Aintree Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Aintree over a distance of about 2 miles and 4 furlongs, and during its running there are eleven hurdles to be jumped. The race is scheduled to take place each year in early April.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timmy Murphy</span> Irish jockey

Timothy James Murphy, known as Timmy Murphy, is a retired Irish jockey who competed mostly in National Hunt racing. A multiple Grade 1-winning rider, he is best known for his victory on Comply or Die in the 2008 Grand National. He overcame problems with alcohol, which had led to a prison sentence after a drunken incident on a plane in 2002, to resume a successful career and win the 2005 jump jockey of the year Lester Award. He won the Irish Grand National on Davids Lad in 2001, and the Scottish Grand National on Merigo in 2010 and 2012. He had eight winners at the Cheltenham Festival, the first in 1997 and the last in 2009. He recorded his 1000th win in Britain in 2010. Following an injury in a fall in 2010 he was unable to regain his licence to ride over jumps and switched codes, riding on the flat from 2015 until 2018, when he retired from race riding.

Brian Fletcher was an English jockey known for riding the horse Red Rum to win the Grand National in 1973 and 1974 and for second place in 1975. He first won the Grand National at the age of 20, in 1968 riding Red Alligator.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aidan Coleman</span> Irish National Hunt Jockey

Aidan Coleman is an Irish National Hunt jockey, who has ridden multiple Grade 1 winners in the United Kingdom including at the Cheltenham Festival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liam Treadwell</span> English jockey (1986–2020)

Liam Treadwell was an English National Hunt jockey, who won over 300 races between 2009 and 2019. He won the 2009 Grand National on Mon Mome at odds of 100/1, and also won the United House Gold Cup, Byrne Group Plate, and Grand Sefton Steeplechase races.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Davy Russell</span> Irish National Hunt jockey

Davy Russell is an Irish retired National Hunt jockey. He was Irish jump racing Champion Jockey three times, and won the Grand National (twice), the Cheltenham Gold Cup and the Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris.

Tommy Carberry was an Irish jockey who rode mostly in National Hunt races. He was Irish jump racing Champion Jockey four times. He is best known for winning the 1975 Grand National on L'Escargot. He rode a total of 16 Cheltenham Festival winners, including L'Escargot in the 1970 and 1971 Gold Cup and Ten Up in the 1975 Gold Cup. After retiring from race riding in 1982 he became a trainer and in 1999 saddled the winner of the Grand National, Bobbyjo.

Edward O'Grady is an champion Irish National Hunt racehorse trainer. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, O'Grady was the leading Irish trainer at Cheltenham by number of winners. He was played by Pierce Brosnan in the 1980 film Murphy's Stroke.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2013 Grand National</span>

The 2013 Grand National was the 166th annual running of the Grand National horse race at Aintree Racecourse near Liverpool, England. The showpiece steeplechase, which concluded a three-day meeting, took place on 6 April 2013. The maximum permitted field of 40 runners competed for a share of the £975,000 prize fund, which made the National the most valuable jump race in Europe.

Auroras Encore is an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the 2013 Grand National. In a racing career which lasted from February 2007 until January 2014 he won two hurdle races and six steeplechases from forty-seven starts.

Sue Smith is a British horse trainer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leighton Aspell</span> Irish jockey

Leighton Aspell is a retired Irish jockey, whose wins include the Champion Four Year Old Hurdle riding United, two runnings of the Welsh National, the 2014 Grand National riding Pineau de Re and the 2015 Grand National riding Many Clouds.

Colin Brown is a former National Hunt jockey in the UK, best known for his association with the famous steeplechaser Desert Orchid. He rode Desert Orchid in more than half his races, a total of 42 starts, winning 17 times. Many of Brown's successes were achieved through his association with Desert Orchid's trainer, David Elsworth. During his 16-year career, he rode more than 400 winners, among them Barnbrook Again in the 1987 Irish Sweeps Hurdle, Burrough Hill Lad, Combs Ditch and Floyd, winner of the 1985 Imperial Cup, 1987 Fighting Fifth Hurdle and 1988 Kingwell Hurdle. He rode the 1989 Grand National winner Little Polveir when completing the course in the 1986 Grand National and when falling in the 1987 Grand National. He also partnered the 1988 Grand National winner, Rhyme 'n' Reason, to victory in the Mildmay Cazalet Memorial Chase at Sandown Park three months before his win at Aintree Racecourse. Brown retired as a jockey after riding at the Cheltenham Festival on 17 March 1988.

Carl Llewellyn is an assistant racehorse trainer to Nigel Twiston-Davies and a retired Welsh professional National Hunt jockey. Llewellyn won the Grand National on two occasions along with the Welsh Grand National and Scottish Grand National as a jockey. He has also won the Whitbread / Bet365 Gold Cup both as a jockey and as a trainer and many grade races.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 Grand National</span>

The 2018 Grand National was the 171st annual running of the Grand National horse race at Aintree Racecourse near Liverpool, England. The showpiece steeplechase was the pinnacle of a three-day festival which commenced on 12 April 2018. The event was sponsored by Randox Health for the second time.

Frank "Titch" Mason was an English jockey who was British jump racing Champion Jockey six times between 1901 and 1907, winning the Grand National in 1905 on the horse Kirkland.

Tim Brookshaw was a National Hunt jockey who was champion jockey in 1958/1959.

References

  1. ↑ "Grand National win for Gala's Ryan Mania". The Southern Reporter. JPI Media. 8 April 2013. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016.
  2. ↑ "Grand National winner Ryan Mania to remain in hospital". BBC Sport. 8 April 2013. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 "Ryan Mania becomes first Scots jockey to win National in 117 years". HeraldScotland. Herald & Times Group. 7 April 2013. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  4. 1 2 3 Muscat, Julian (13 April 2013). "National hero staying calm in eye of the media storm". Racing Post. London.
  5. ↑ Griffiths, Danny (6 April 2013). "Grand National 2013: Debutant jockey Ryan Mania wins on 66/1 shot Auroras Encore". Metro. DMG Media.
  6. ↑ "Grand National:Ryan Mania Stays in Hospital". Sky News. 8 April 2013. Archived from the original on 10 April 2013.
  7. ↑ Birch, Richard (19 April 2013). "National hero Mania back in the saddle and raring to go". Racing Post. London.
  8. ↑ "Ryan Mania: Grand National-winning jockey retires at 25". BBC Sport. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  9. ↑ Gavin Havery (5 March 2015). "Winning jockey joins North-East hunt". Northern Echo. Newsquest Media Group. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  10. ↑ Michael Butler (7 April 2015). "Grand National winner Ryan Mania: how pressure to lose weight made me retire". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  11. 1 2 "Ryan Mania: The jockey leading the pack and hunting new Aintree glory". Yorkshire Post. JPI Media. 20 October 2016. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  12. 1 2 Tom Richmond (25 October 2019). "Exclusive - Grand National winner Ryan Mania comes out of retirement with a renewed appetite to compete". Yorkshire Post. JPI Media. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  13. ↑ David Baxter (26 October 2019). "Rejuvenated Ryan Mania ready for comeback after winning battle with the scales". Racing Post . Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  14. ↑ Tom Richmond (28 October 2019). "Ryan Mania unplaced as Grand National hero makes comeback at Ayr". Yorkshire Post. JPI Media. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  15. ↑ Tom, English. "Grand National 2023: Trainer Sandy Thomson on the death of horse Hill Sixteen". BBC. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.