Today marks a significant day in the life of battling new trainer Blake Ryan.
He squares off for the very first time against his famous, Gr 1 winning father Gerald at Hawkesbury for the very first time.
Since going solo with a small team based at Hawkesbury after his dad chose to partner with Sterling Alexiou as a co-training business, Blake Ryan has already tasted success.
Minimal by comparison to his dad, but success none-the-less, and a win against Gerald and Sterling today would be worth a fair bit more to him on many levels than a normal victory.
They clash in race 4 at Hawkesbury, where Blake puts the saddle on his last start surprise long shot winner SHOELESS JOE (Exceed and Excel – Hasna) who will wear the number 3 saddle cloth, while his father will send out number 4 saddle cloth MIHOCEK (Sooboog – Carmelita Mo) who scored a maiden win two runs back.
Both horses are in the market and both are drawn nicely, albeit one horse apart with Kathy O’Hara on Blue Sky Moon separating them while in the barriers.
Blake Ryan has a team of just six horses under his name and he first sent a horse out on his own in February this year.
From nine trips to the races as his own man, he has won two races already.
By contrast, the old man has 131 horses on the books at the moment and he boasts a glittering career of success stories, his last winner, in fact, being a stakes winner.
Battle lines are drawn….David vs Goliath and may the best Ryan get the chocolates.
