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Dubbo Turf Club will honour one of western racing’s most iconic figures this year, with the inaugural Greg Ryan Medal to be awarded to the most successful jockey on Dubbo Gold Cup Day, to be held on Sunday 11th September.
Ryan officially retired from race riding in June 2021, having ridden his last race at Mudgee in December of 2020.
He is credited with having ridden 4035 winners throughout his career, placing him second behind Robert Thompson in the Australian racing record books.
"As a board we wanted to find a way to recognise Greg's illustrious career, while noting that he has never been a person keen to seek the limelight," said Dubbo Turf Club's president, Chris Davis.
"His record in the saddle is almost without peer and it will be a long time before we have someone from our region achieve a similar status in Australian racing history so we thought that should be celebrated.
"We approached Greg for his permission to establish the medal and he was honoured and especially loved the fact that it would be providing a reward for the jockeys that are in action on Dubbo Gold Cup Day."
Jockeys will be awarded points on a 3-2-1 basis across the races and Ryan will be on hand to present the medal at the conclusion of the Cup meeting which, along with the $100,000 Dubbo Gold Cup, will also see the inaugural running of the $50,000 Vince Gordon Memorial Sprint in honour of the club's former general manager.
The Dubbo club has also announced plans to introduce Horse of the Year, Jockey of the Year and Trainer of the Year prizes, with points to be accrued across the 2022/23 racing season which started on 1st August.
"We think it's important to recognise the participants who support us during the year and by creating these awards we are able to do that," Mr Davis said.
"Racing is thriving in Dubbo and the western region at the moment. Field sizes at Dubbo are always strong and this is another incentive for people to race here."
Dubbo Turf Club also recently refurbished its male and female jockeys room which will now be known as the 'Greg Ryan Jockeys Rooms'.
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