“Mojo Star showed me that it takes a champion to win the Arc”explains Rossa Ryan, the Irish jockey who will be in the saddle on the filly Bluestocking in the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe 2024, with authority. The Arc therefore made a big impression on this young jockey, aged 24 and who, before going to the start of the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe 2021, had never yet ridden in France. In fact, until this season and his victory in the Prix Vermeille with Bluestockingthis son of an obstacle trainer, who only immersed himself in the world of horse racing once he had discovered pony racing in Ireland, looked at France for a long time with mixed feelings. Indeed, after this first experience in the Arc 2021, which produced a tenth place behind Torquator Tassoin 2022, a discussion around the Prix Morny led to the loss of his contract with Amo Racing. “There was a miscommunication between us (Kia Joorabchian, who is behind Amo Racing) regarding Persian Forcewho ran in the Prix Morny in Francehe explains without showing too much emotion. I was going to be replaced that day and I wasn’t happy. I come from a racing family, sure, but I wasn’t born with a silver spoon in my mouth and I was just very unhappy with that decision. So we broke up, but at the end of the year we got back together and have been getting along really well ever since. In fact, Kia is like a father to me. I rode a winner at Royal Ascot for him last year and he is one of those people I can count onr.”
The Importance of Ralph Beckett and Kia Joorabchian
It is not surprising that this man, often described as a football agent by the press, continues to have a lot of influence on the Irish jockey. After all, it was he who had spotted him at Richard Hannon’s stable where Rossa Ryan had gone at the age of 16 to continue her apprenticeship as a jockey. Like most coaches’ offices, Richard Hannon had a wall decorated with photos of his greatest hits. All of its jockeys appeared there, except Rossa Ryan, who had already lost her discharge in 2018. “Oui, smiled Rossa Ryan. Kia had noticed that I wasn’t on the wall and promised me that one day I would be there. Then, shortly after, I rode a winner for him who was trained by Ralph Beckett and he asked me to become his regular jockey.”
An encounter with the Soumillon elbow
This association therefore lasted two and a half years, until the famous Prix Morny in 2022. Ralph Beckett, however, continued to enlist the services of Rossa Ryan and it was in September 2022 that he returned to France to to saddle up Captain Willow in a group III in Saint-Cloud. A group III where he would find himself biting the grass after getting to know Christophe Soumillon’s elbow. Having fallen, fortunately without suffering a serious injury, he laughs and declares: “I don’t really know what happened, but it’s a done deal. I have no hard feelings, Christophe apologized and, like intelligent adults, we put our pride aside. We get along very well today and I would like this past event to remain in the past.”
The pony academy is fantastic.
At the time, this incident made big waves and did not happen without significant consequences for the Belgian jockey who was going to be suspended for two months. For her part, Rossa Ryan has nothing but compliments for her colleague when he adds: “I have a lot of admiration for Christophe Soumillon. What he’s doing with the pony academy is fantastic. It’s fabulous to see a jockey like him interested in young people, in wanting to produce the new generation of jockeys through pony racing. I know John Egan (jockey) sent his son there and Jim Crowley is also going to send his son to the academy. And what I find superb is all the support he receives. In Ireland there is no one investing in pony racing and I hope that seeing Christophe’s success the horse racing authorities in Ireland and England take note.”
If his 2022 season was somewhat disrupted, the 2023 season largely rewarded him, since he was able to record his first Group I success thanks to Shaquilletrained by Julie Camacho and victorious in the July Cup. “I am very happy with my current situationhe confirms. You could say that I am attached to Ralph Beckett’s stable, but I am also free to ride for other trainers and that suits me very well. But obviously, this season, I had my greatest successes thanks to Bluestockingwho is coached by Ralph.” The Juddmonte Farms-owned mare gave her her first Group I in Ireland by winning the Pretty Polly Stakes, but also her first Group I in France when she was unbeatable in the Prix Vermeille. And this Sunday, it could offer him a first success in the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, a race that he dreams of winning.
“I hope Bluestocking is this extraordinary horse”
“Like I said, to win the Arc, we need a championhe said with conviction. All the best horses on the planet arrive for this meeting. It takes an extraordinary horse to win it and I hope that Bluestocking is this extraordinary horse.” The filly certainly made a very good impression in the Prix Vermeille and he confirms: “In the Vermeille, I had no doubts and I was in the saddle on the best filly of the lot. She hadn’t pulled a good rope number and there was no rhythm in the race, but everything seemed to be working for her. She was the best filly on paper and she proved it that day. Now you can’t find a better trainer for fillies than Ralph (Beckett). And over 2,400 meters, Bluestocking is so comfortable. She is versatile, because she handles good terrain as well as soft terrain and she has already won at this distance as well as on the racecourse. I think she is better at 4 years old. I don’t know if you saw, but she was much taller than her opponents in the Prix Vermeille. This season she has become stronger. Her strength is her intelligence and she manages her racing outings much better than before. I think that in an Arc which is still quite open this year, she could absolutely play a big role. In any case, Juddmonte Farms pedigrees tend to improve with age.”
With a good performance in the Arc, France still has every chance of becoming his favorite country.
