No buyers, no problem: Queen Regent changes everything for Blake Ryan

Cover image courtesy of Georgia Young Photography

Saturday brought a first stakes win to remember for Blake Ryan at Scone’s standalone metropolitan meeting, where the sharp horseman sent out $151 shot Queen Regent (Wild Ruler) to victory in the Listed Woodlands Stakes.

Fourth on debut back in April, the juvenile filly had snuck into Saturday’s field as the fourth emergency and proved too strong when Jay Ford pulled her into clear air at the top of the final furlong, winning by a length and a third over Found The Gold (Too Darn Hot {GB}) and Lady Catalina (Written Tycoon).

A maiden stakes victory is a thrilling milestone to reach for Ryan, who is most well known for his breeze-up horses but is starting to carve himself a serious niche as a trainer. It is all the more special that it comes from the filly that he couldn’t let go of, even when no one was buying in.

The right one for the budget

The intention had never been to sell Queen Regent - at least not through a breeze-up sale. Ryan outlaid $40,000 to purchase the daughter of Newgate Farm’s Wild Ruler at the 2025 Inglis HTBA Yearling Sale, where she was offered by Glenbeigh Farm on behalf of breeder Geoff Wilson.

“It was her strength and attitude that drew me to her,” said Ryan. “She was not the most correct yearling, but she’s a granddaughter of Snitzel and she actually reminded me a lot of Snitzerland, who was a very good filly who came second in the Golden Slipper to Pierro.”

Ryan recorded his first winner in 2021 with Divine Future (Panzer Division) and has notched 51 career wins to date - Queen Regent was his 50th, with Silk Lace (Gold Standard) providing the 51st on Tuesday at Newcastle. His stable has been slowly expanding over the last five years, supported by his strong results at the Inglis Ready2Race Sales.

“When you’re trying to build up your training business, you need sharp horses who come to hand quickly. It’s nice to look at Classic-type horses that might take a bit more time, but you need 2-year-olds and early maturing horses to get your name out there. And she fit that model and she was within the budget.”

Queen Regent’s dam Miss Vixen (Foxwedge) was a four-time winner up to metropolitan level and second in the G3 Proud Miss Stakes during her time on the track. She is one of two stakes-performing fillies out of Listed Moonba Plate victress Kirvinsky (NZ) (Stravinsky {USA}), a half-sister to the dams of G1 Emirates Stakes winner Hucklebuck (Elvstroem) and G3 SAJC Sires’ Produce Stakes winner Stirling Grove (Mossman).

Her first foal, Cosmic Vixen (Cosmic Force), has been a late bloomer, but opened her account with a debut win in October.

“I don’t have the budget to go buy the Snitzels and Extreme Choices of the world, so I look at what their sons and daughters are producing,” Ryan said. “And Wild Ruler looks like he’s got the makings of being a great stallion.”

Ryan listed the filly on his site, but in five months of advertising her, no one bought a share.

“I had no intention of selling her, she was bought to race, but I had to put her through the Ready2Race sale in order to clear the account,” he said. “I had decided all the way through that I wasn’t going to give her away and there were a couple of lower offers for her below the reserve, but I stood firm and passed her in.”

This is where Wilson re-entered the frame; he offered to buy back 75% of the filly. Ryan agreed and kept the remaining 25% for himself.

“The rest is history,” Ryan said.

A Wild start to a stallion career

While Ryan can’t yet shop at the top, he can ride the upward momentum of the country’s up and coming young stallions.

First crop sire Wild Ruler has lived somewhat in the shadow of barnmate Stay Inside as their first yearlings headed to the sales last year and made their way into the stables of trainers across the country.

However his son Stretan Ruler got him off to a cracking start with a second in the Listed Merson Cooper Stakes in November and backed it up with a win in the G2 Silver Slipper Stakes before running fifth in the G1 Golden Slipper Stakes itself.

At the time of writing, Wild Ruler sits second in the first season sire’s premiership behind Home Affairs on both prize money and winners, with Queen Regent becoming his sixth individual winner and second stakes winner to date.

“I sold another Wild Ruler for $200,000 last year and he’s been named Pride Storm, and he won a trial at the Gold Coast in April by four and a half lengths,” Ryan said. “I’m not sure if he’s going straight to Hong Kong or not, but he’s a nice horse.”

Ryan offered Pride Storm (Wild Ruler) on behalf of Kingstar Farm at last year’s Inglis Ready2Race sale. He was snapped up by Upper Bloodstock and Jimmy Ting, and was sent to Peter Robl.

“I bought another one at the Magic Millions sale last year for $100,000 and he hasn’t been as quick to make it to the track as those two, but he’s showed me a bit of ability along the way. One thing that I really like about them (the Wild Rulers) is that they’ve got really good attitudes.”

A good attitude goes a long way to preparing a precocious type of horse.

“There’s plenty of nice horses out there with bad attitudes, but a good attitude gets you a long way,” Ryan said. “They help you to help them.”

A helping hand from Henry

One person Ryan was quick to credit in the aftermath of Queen Regent’s victory was Newgate proprietor Henry Field, who Ryan said had called him after Queen Regent’s trial win in March. The filly had bolted in by three lengths, and Field had been quick to steer Ryan in the direction of the Listed Woodlands Stakes as her big target.

Ryan and Field’s friendship goes back a long way, and Ryan has always been receptive to advice dispensed by the latter. Their friendship cemented its foundations in 2017 with Ryan’s first breeze-up draft.

“We met when he was going around the sales with Gai Waterhouse, I would see him pretty then,” he said. “When I bought my first Ready2Race horses, one that I bought was by Sizzling, who stood at Newgate at the time. So Henry, showing support for a young guy having a go, took a half interest in the horse and we breezed him up together.”

Ryan purchased Hurricane Max (Sizzling) for $35,000 from Yarraman Park Stud’s 2017 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale draft, and returned him to the same venue later that year, where he sold to Henry Dwyer for $80,000. The gelding won four races for connections and over $100,000 in prize money.

“Henry’s always been there for advice,” Ryan said. “Everything he touches turns to gold. With Queen Regent, he obviously has a vested interest in Wild Ruler himself, and also Geoff Wilson’s mares are at Newgate as well as being in the Newgate colts syndicate. So when he rings you with a bit of advice, like going to the Woodlands Stakes, you listen to him.”

And good advice it was. In fact, Queen Regent delivered the third black-type update to her family within the last fortnight; her dam’s half-sister Kalamata (NZ) (Desert Prince) is the granddam of recent Listed Straight Six Handicap winner Losesomewinmore (All Too Hard) and Listed Wangoon Handicap winner Oliveanotherday (Nicconi).

“I always learn something from talking to him,” Ryan said. “The Henry Fields and John Messaras of the world, you learn something every time you have a chat to them.”

Readying to run

Queen Regent has been sent for a well earned break in the paddock after her opening preparation, and Ryan turns his attention to his yearling purchases who will return to the Riverside Stables sales complex in October. Previous Ready2Race drafts have held the likes of Dashing Peach (NZ) (Super Seth), a $115,000 yearling purchase turned $550,000 export to Hong Kong, and Golden Monkey (Star Turn), the winner of $1.8 million between Australia and Singapore, and numerous stakes races in the latter.

While there might be a Queen Regent amongst their number, the majority of his eight purchases - which includes a Home Affairs half-brother to Western Australian stallion Lightsaber and a Hellbent half-brother to recent juvenile winner Portland Miss (Portland Sky) - are destined for the breeze-up sale.

Ryan's most expensive outlay this year was $260,000 for a Starspangledbanner colt sold by Cannon Hayes Stud at Inglis Classic.

“We have about 16 in the draft so far,” he said. “We will be going to the Magic Millions National sale at the Gold Coast last week to see if there’s any more we would like to add to the draft.”

In his own stable, Ryan has maintained a long relationship with Magus Equine, who own the majority of horses racing under his name.

“They have been great supporters of the stable since we started,” he said, acknowledging the security that comes with a long-term owner sticking with a stable. “Some of the horses will progress to going to Hong Kong to race for them there, but they do keep horses to race here with me too.”

Two will take to the races at Newcastle this weekend for the partnership, while Ryan plots the return of his other chief black-type hopeful, Lady Extreme (Extreme Choice), who was last seen running fourth in the G3 Birthday Card Stakes.

“For the last 12 months, I thought if I was going to get a stakes winner, it would be her,” he said. Now Queen Regent has ticked off that milestone. “She will stay in training as a 7-year-old next season, and I’m still confident there’s a stakes win in her future.”