Sara Ryan Racing
Sara Ryan Racing
Training racehorses in Australia.
Origin Story / Overview
Introduce yourself. What inspired this venture?
I’ve always been passionate about horses and competing, so building a career around them felt like a natural direction for me. I originally started down a very different path studying biochemical engineering, but I realised that horses were where I wanted to put my energy and build my future. My family has been a big influence on my journey. They’ve always had a strong work ethic and encouraged me to back myself, work hard and create my own opportunities. Racing wasn’t something I was born into, so I had to learn the industry from the ground up, but having that support and encouragement gave me the confidence to take the risk and build something of my own.
What do you hope younger family members learn from your story?
I hope younger family members learn that it’s important to follow the things you genuinely enjoy and are passionate about. Your hobbies and interests can sometimes turn into opportunities or even a career if you’re willing to work hard and give them a real chance. I’d like them to know that it’s okay to take a different path, back yourself and build a life around something you truly love doing.
How can our family best support your business?
Our family can best support the business by helping promote it within their own networks and spreading the word about what we do. If they come across people who are interested in owning or racing horses in Australia, directing them towards our business and making those introductions could be really valuable. Word of mouth and personal connections are a big part of the racing industry, so having our family help create those opportunities would be a great way to support the growth of the business.
Lessons & Advice
What do you wish you'd known earlier?
I wish I’d known earlier how important it is to build the right team around you and not try to do everything yourself. When you’re building a business, it’s easy to think you need to be involved in every little detail, but learning to trust good people and delegate has allowed me to focus my time and energy where I can have the biggest impact. I’ve also learnt that setbacks are part of the process, and sometimes the things that don’t go to plan end up teaching you the most.
What principle has shaped your success?
The principle that has shaped my success the most is consistency. In racing, there are so many things outside of your control, but you can control how hard you work and the standards you set every day. I believe in showing up, doing the small things properly and always putting the horses first. Over time, those small consistent efforts are what create the bigger results.
Advice for the next generation.
My advice to the next generation would be to follow what you genuinely enjoy and don’t be afraid to turn a hobby or passion into something bigger. Work hard, stay consistent and be willing to start at the bottom and learn along the way. Don’t be afraid to take a different path from what people expect of you, surround yourself with good people, back yourself and take opportunities when they come.
Image Gallery (click to zoom)
Speed Round
Walk us through a slice of your routine.
My alarm goes off at 3am and I’m in the barn by 3:40am, six days a week. The morning is spent overseeing trackwork, riding horses myself and making sure each horse is progressing as we want. From there, it’s checking horses, speaking with staff, vets and jockeys, planning races and keeping owners updated. Depending on the day, we could then be heading off to the races, sometimes travelling quite a distance. Some days don’t finish until very late at night, but regardless of what time we get home, the alarm goes off again at 3am the next morning. It’s a demanding lifestyle, but it’s what it takes to run the business and give the horses every opportunity to perform at their best.
Share a challenge you've overcome.
One of the biggest challenges I’ve overcome was entering the racing industry without coming from a racing background. I had to start from the ground up, learn the industry, prove myself and build my reputation through results. Another challenge has been building the business while also learning how to build and manage a team. In the beginning, you try to do everything yourself, but as the business grows, that isn’t sustainable. I’ve had to learn how to find the right people, manage staff and build teams around me that I can trust. Having good people in the right roles allows me to dedicate more of my time to other important parts of the business, while still maintaining a high standard with the horses. There are also the constant challenges that come with training racehorses—injuries, setbacks and things not always going to plan. Racing teaches you to adapt quickly, keep moving forward and focus on what you can control. I think overcoming all of those challenges has made me a better trainer, leader and business owner.
Share a small win.
A win that really stands out to me was my horse, Matcha Latte, winning the Provincial-Midway Final on Championships Day. He had come back from what was thought to be a career-ending injury, so to see all the time, patience and work that went into getting him back to the track result in a win on such a big day was incredibly rewarding. It’s a moment I’ll always be proud of and a great reminder of what can be achieved when you don’t give up.
Image Gallery (click to zoom)
Origin Story / Overview
Introduce yourself. What inspired this venture?
I’ve always been passionate about horses and competing, so building a career around them felt like a natural direction for me. I originally started down a very different path studying biochemical engineering, but I realised that horses were where I wanted to put my energy and build my future. My family has been a big influence on my journey. They’ve always had a strong work ethic and encouraged me to back myself, work hard and create my own opportunities. Racing wasn’t something I was born into, so I had to learn the industry from the ground up, but having that support and encouragement gave me the confidence to take the risk and build something of my own.
What do you hope younger family members learn from your story?
I hope younger family members learn that it’s important to follow the things you genuinely enjoy and are passionate about. Your hobbies and interests can sometimes turn into opportunities or even a career if you’re willing to work hard and give them a real chance. I’d like them to know that it’s okay to take a different path, back yourself and build a life around something you truly love doing.
How can our family best support your business?
Our family can best support the business by helping promote it within their own networks and spreading the word about what we do. If they come across people who are interested in owning or racing horses in Australia, directing them towards our business and making those introductions could be really valuable. Word of mouth and personal connections are a big part of the racing industry, so having our family help create those opportunities would be a great way to support the growth of the business.
Speed Round
Walk us through a slice of your routine.
My alarm goes off at 3am and I’m in the barn by 3:40am, six days a week. The morning is spent overseeing trackwork, riding horses myself and making sure each horse is progressing as we want. From there, it’s checking horses, speaking with staff, vets and jockeys, planning races and keeping owners updated. Depending on the day, we could then be heading off to the races, sometimes travelling quite a distance. Some days don’t finish until very late at night, but regardless of what time we get home, the alarm goes off again at 3am the next morning. It’s a demanding lifestyle, but it’s what it takes to run the business and give the horses every opportunity to perform at their best.
Share a challenge you've overcome.
One of the biggest challenges I’ve overcome was entering the racing industry without coming from a racing background. I had to start from the ground up, learn the industry, prove myself and build my reputation through results. Another challenge has been building the business while also learning how to build and manage a team. In the beginning, you try to do everything yourself, but as the business grows, that isn’t sustainable. I’ve had to learn how to find the right people, manage staff and build teams around me that I can trust. Having good people in the right roles allows me to dedicate more of my time to other important parts of the business, while still maintaining a high standard with the horses. There are also the constant challenges that come with training racehorses—injuries, setbacks and things not always going to plan. Racing teaches you to adapt quickly, keep moving forward and focus on what you can control. I think overcoming all of those challenges has made me a better trainer, leader and business owner.
Share a small win.
A win that really stands out to me was my horse, Matcha Latte, winning the Provincial-Midway Final on Championships Day. He had come back from what was thought to be a career-ending injury, so to see all the time, patience and work that went into getting him back to the track result in a win on such a big day was incredibly rewarding. It’s a moment I’ll always be proud of and a great reminder of what can be achieved when you don’t give up.
Lessons & Advice
What do you wish you'd known earlier?
I wish I’d known earlier how important it is to build the right team around you and not try to do everything yourself. When you’re building a business, it’s easy to think you need to be involved in every little detail, but learning to trust good people and delegate has allowed me to focus my time and energy where I can have the biggest impact. I’ve also learnt that setbacks are part of the process, and sometimes the things that don’t go to plan end up teaching you the most.
What principle has shaped your success?
The principle that has shaped my success the most is consistency. In racing, there are so many things outside of your control, but you can control how hard you work and the standards you set every day. I believe in showing up, doing the small things properly and always putting the horses first. Over time, those small consistent efforts are what create the bigger results.
Advice for the next generation.
My advice to the next generation would be to follow what you genuinely enjoy and don’t be afraid to turn a hobby or passion into something bigger. Work hard, stay consistent and be willing to start at the bottom and learn along the way. Don’t be afraid to take a different path from what people expect of you, surround yourself with good people, back yourself and take opportunities when they come.
Comments
