Jason Ryan is a nomad no more

by Matthew Lomon

Jason Ryan has aced just about every test thrown his way over 18 memorable years on the Ontario harness racing circuit.

The Charlottetown, PEI native has routinely etched his name atop driving leaderboards at racetracks around the province, cementing himself as one of the sport’s most reliable reinsmen.

But before he could leave home to pursue his dream of a career in the race bike, Ryan faced a test with stakes higher than anything he’s ever encountered.

“As I got through high school, I wanted to pursue horses more than school work – like most of us,” Ryan said. “I made a deal with my parents that if I got my grade 12, they would fly me wherever I wanted to work with horses.”

With his sights set on the future, a determined Ryan did it his way.

“I called it grade 12 and a half,” he said with a laugh. “I had to go back for half a year for a course or two. Once I had that final exam, my teacher knew what was on the line for me, so she marked it right away, called me and said, ‘You can pack your bags, you’re going somewhere.’”

While the initial plan involved heading south to Florida, Ryan, open to other possibilities, set his course for Ontario.

After arriving in Canada’s most populous province at the close of 2007, a wide-eyed Ryan moved in with fellow islander and accomplished reinsman, Robert Shepherd.

The winner of nearly 4,440 races and $31 million in prizes helped Ryan settle into his new surroundings before moving on to work with several prominent horsepeople, including driver Nick Boyd, and trainers Anthony MacDonald, Herb Holland, George and Brenda Teague, and Blake MacIntosh.

Though plenty grateful for his time with all, Ryan credited MacIntosh for urging him to take his first leap.

“Blake put it in my ear that I should go to Sudbury because I had just got my license to drive,” Ryan said. “I wasn’t getting a whole lot of drives or anything at the time, I was just working.”

Ryan had good reason to trust MacIntosh’s instincts, as it was the trainer with just shy of $25 million on his resume who supplied the mare that delivered Ryan’s first driving win one year prior – even if the memory is faint.

“Today, I don’t remember a whole lot from that race,” Ryan said, adding with a laugh. “I remember Blake wasn’t too high on that mare, so he said, ‘You can ship, paddock, and drive her.’ So, that’s what I did: I shipped, paddocked, and drove her that night at Western Fair.”

Sent off at 19-1, the second longest shot on the board, Northern Luck pacer Lena’s Luck ($41.90) found the winner’s circle with Ryan in tow on Oct. 10, 2009.

While the result may not have sat well with most handicappers, it certainly did for the East Coast kid.

“She made me happy anyway, and Blake, I’m sure,” Ryan said.

Eager to continue his ascent and make a name of his own, Ryan took MacIntosh’s advice to heart.

“He said, ‘Why don’t you go to Sudbury? It’d be a great spot for you to learn,’” Ryan said. “After that, he actually shipped me up to Sudbury with my couple of horses, and he sent me one, too. I went out on my own from there.”

Ryan debuted at the now defunct Sudbury Downs on May 1, 2010, finishing fifth with his personal trainee Minniewin.

The bay daughter of Astreos—Armbrow Vow regrouped to supply Ryan’s first triumph at the Chelmsford, ON oval exactly one week later.

To this day, he remains eternally grateful for Sudbury Downs and the pivotal role it played in his racing journey.

“Once I really got in at Sudbury, I felt like part of their colony and that I was on the right path,” Ryan said. “The people were great and once things started rolling a bit, that’s when I started to pick up catch drives in bunches instead of just one or two.”

Ryan parlayed his success at Sudbury into leading driver honors in 2012.

The distinction propelled him further forward.

“Owners and trainers were starting to send me better quality horses and list me in finals down there if I didn’t already have my own in it,” he said. “You got a lot more work that way.”

In the years that followed, Ryan continued his steady rise up the ranks, both in Ontario and abroad.

Alongside the local grassroots tour, his travel itinerary included stops at Running Aces in Minnesota, Monticello Raceway in Upstate New York, and a trip home to Charlottetown Driving Park.

“Now that I look back at it, I’d say I’m pretty well-traveled,” Ryan said. “I went to Sudbury, knew very few people there, and made a name for myself. I then went to Minnesota despite never being in the [United] States before – Running Aces is still one of my favorite places that I’ve ever been.

“I had just missed the leading driver title the first year I was there, but I had gone to PEI for two weeks for Old Home Week to drive in the Gold Cup [& Saucer] that year.

“Then I did Monticello that winter and then went back to Minnesota because I wanted that driving title and got it in 2014.”

For his efforts, the Monticello-Goshen chapter of the United States Harness Writers Association named Ryan its Rising Star Award recipient in 2014.

His stock has only soared since.

The star reinsman has exceeded 200 wins in four straight seasons, registering a career-high 244 tallies in 2024.

Ryan has generated over $1.5 million in purse earnings three times during that span, hitting a watermark of $1,851,294, also in 2024.

Reaching a new stratum, though, hasn’t followed the path of his early career.

“I was kind of like a nomad before,” Ryan said. “I was always here, there, every which way, and then I found out if you just stay at one spot, make yourself available at the spot, people will know you’re there. They’re more likely to start using you and relying on you.

“Showing up is a big thing – always being there.”

The simplified approach has undoubtedly done wonders for Ryan’s career.

Last June at Georgian Downs, the proven pilot crossed the 2,000-win threshold with headstrong colt That Dude.

“Dougie [trainer Doug Bowins] said the colt had some talent, but he had a little bit of an attitude problem, so just keep him quiet and go from there and everything just worked out,” Ryan said.

While not initially aware the half-length score in a personal best 1:57 did the trick, Ryan wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I didn’t even know at the time that it was my 2,000th win,” he said with a laugh. “I knew I was close, but when you get counting, that’s all you can think about, and I find they don’t come.

“Once I got maybe 10 to 15 away, I just didn’t look again. Then I had a pretty big week or two and it just happened to work out that it was 2,000.”

Whether during early mornings in the barn or while donning his signature forest green and white colors in the sulky — the same combo he first wore warming up horses for Kenny Arsenault back home — Ryan has forged a path that is uniquely his.

It hasn’t always been easy. A torn anterior talofibular ligament two years ago and broken ribs last year tested him, but Ryan refused to be slowed.

Having already upheld his end of the deal made with his parents decades ago, Ryan remains driven to achieve even more.

“Last year, I was really, really happy with my overall year, especially after being out for an extended period,” he said. “This year, it’s about trying to build on it, staying busy, healthy, and hopefully the work follows.

“Keep trainers happy, grooms happy, owners happy.”