James E. Ryan

Who was James E. Ryan?

James E. "Jim" Ryan was an American Thoroughbred horse racing trainer in both steeplechase and flat racing. A native of Ireland, his father, Owen J. Ryan, was the master of Cleaboy Stud in Mullingar, County Westmeath, Ireland. While working in a factory in England in his early teens, Jim Ryan began riding steeplechase horses on weekends. He eventually made it a career and after moving to the United States in the 1930s, became a trainer and breeder.

During his career, Ryan conditioned horses for notable stable owners such as Mrs. F. Ambrose Clark, James Cox Brady, Jr., Paul Mellon and Richard King Mellon, and Esther du Pont Thouron for whom he conditioned Royal Governor, the 1949 American Co-Champion Sprint Horse.

Ryan was also widely respected for his knowledge of horse anatomy. A 1967 Sports Illustrated article reported that the Tattersalls horse auction company said that Ryan was the "second-best judge of horseflesh in their 200-year history."

Jim Ryan made his home near Unionville, Chester County, Pennsylvania and that was where he died from a heart attack in 1976.