For over a century the Ryan family have been involved in racing at Bathurst, both before and since the opening of the new track in the 1950's at Tyers Park.
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Don Ryan, who is still a trainer at Bathurst, was an apprentice jockey with his father Frank who trained at the old track at Eglinton. He prepared very good gallopers including Pan Star (sired by dual Melbourne Cup winner Peter Pan) and the 1948 Coonamble Cup winner Glentact.
"As an apprentice you had to ride pretty well as you were competing against such wonderful horsemen as 'Matey' Molloy, Ned Dougherty, Arthur Seymour, Mervyn Seymour and 'Banjo' Bell," recalls Ryan.
"Another great jockey from that era was Ossie Cahill, the father of present day jockeys Michael and Mathew Cahill."
Ryan's first winner was at Cowra on Easter Monday 1951 on Gold Fort, trained at Newbridge by Clarry Davis.
Gold Fort won four straight while another good horse ridden to wins by Don Ryan was Rata Lad, trained by Dave Jenkins at Bathurst.
Two years in to his apprenticeship Don was seriously injured in a fall at Molong races which ended his jockey career and later he became both a racecaller and a trainer.
For over 10 years he called the races at Bathurst, Orange, Cowra, Mudgee, Gulgong and several other tracks.
As a trainer, Don Ryan won his first Bathurst Cup in 1966 with Ecrates, ridden by Sammy Mezzasalma.
Ryan's Ecrates, winner of 14 races and beaten by a nose at Randwick by the Neville Begg-trained Rue Nought, was owned by Hartley Williams.
He was the father of Gowan Williams, the well known racing statistician and long time publisher with his late wife of the popular Aimer Racing Weekly.
Don Ryan regards Ecrates as the best horse he has trained and for many years the Ecrates Cup donated by Gowan Williams was raced for at Bathurst.
In year 2000 the well named Wide And Blue (by Yonder), ridden by Mathew Cahill, became the second Bathurst Cup winner for Don Ryan, when winning by over two lengths from Trust No One and Magic Fun.
