DERMOT Ryan, manager of Coolmore’s Ashford Stud in Kentucky, was presented with the Ted Bates Farm Manager of the Year Award last Saturday by the Kentucky Thoroughbred Farm Managers’ Club [KTFMC].

Ryan has overseen the growth and development of many world-class stallions at Ashford, and he has long been a supporter of KTFMC, through donations, involvement in club events, and encouraging participation from other Ashford employees.

Ryan grew up in Tipperary, about an hour away from Coolmore. After leaving school, he completed the Irish National Stud course alongside Henry Beeby, John Durkan, Pat Downes, Garrett O’Rourke, Des Dempsey, Nicola Ward, Brendan Gallagher, and John Brady.

He began working at Coolmore aged 19 and spent eight years there before moving to Coolmore America in December 1992. He married Debbie in 1999.

Ryan is a director of the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association/Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders and is on the board of directors at the Gluck Equine Research Center.

“It has been amazing to see Ashford grow through the vision of John Magnier and his family,” said Ryan. “I am very thankful to have been given the opportunity to be a steward of such a wonderful place, to be around such amazing horses, and work with wonderful people.

“It has been as much of a pleasure seeing young horses progress and go on to be successful as it has been seeing the success of the young people, past and present, that have come through Ashford.

“We have a lot to be grateful for working in such a fantastic industry here in central Kentucky and I am very thankful to all of the breeders who have supported us and have been a great pleasure to work with over the years. I am very humbled and thankful to all at the Kentucky Thoroughbred Farm Managers’ Club for this award.”

John Magnier paid tribute to Ryan, saying: “The horses and people at Ashford are always at the forefront of his mind. He is the real deal, and it is a great honour for him to receive this award.

“We are proud to have been associated with him and his family for such a long time. It is very well deserved and comes as no surprise to us.”

M.V. Magnier added: “It is a great honour to see Dermot receive such a well-deserved award and we are delighted to see that others see what we see on a daily basis.

“We have been very lucky to have him at Coolmore for so long; he is a great guy and if he wasn’t in this business, he could have turned his hand to anything.”