Kevin Ryder, who died at the age of 88 in Christchurch last Saturday, trained standardbreds successfully in New Zealand and the United States.
He was also successful as a reinsman, owner, breeder, selling agent and he was a long-time active member of the New Zealand Owners, Trainers and Breeders' and New Zealand Horseman's Associations. He also owned and trained thoroughbreds.
Ryder was born at Blackball and he was working on the family farm at Inchbonnie when he laid a training track in the late 1940s. He trained and drove his first winner, Helen Patch, at Westport in 1957. He leased Helen Patch from Iris Litten, wife of the West Melton trainer, Jack Litten, of Caduceus fame.
Ryder was working working for Litten when he began racing Westland King, who took a mile trotting record from a standing start as a 2yr-old in 1966 of 2min 12sec which stands today. Westland King, bought by Ryder as a weanling, also ran a record mile against time of 2min 8sec as a 2yr-old. Westland King won two races at the Kaikoura meeting as an early 3yr-old.
Ryder, then training on a property at Yaldhurst, produced the Goodland-Whitehaven entire to win at Ashburton in 1969 after he had been away from racing for 21 months. Westland King won five races from nine starts, his racing restricted by leg problems.
Ryder stood him at stud and Westland King sired Stormy Morn, winner of 32 races including the 1981 Dominion Handicap and New Zealand Trotting Free-For-All, 1982 Rowe Cup and 1981 Australasian Trotters ChampionshipRyder trained publicly for two years from 1967 and won races with Tullamore Dew, both as a pacer and trotter. His stablehand was Robert Dunn, now a prominent trainer.
Ryder began training in the United States in 1973, with Banksey Butler an early winner for him at Yonkers raceway, New York. His aim was to qualify horses and sell them.
Ryder settled back at West Melton in 1977 and continued to produce winners, including Tempest Tiger, Franco Tiger and By The Way.
Tempest Tiger won the 1979 New Zealand Messenger and equalled the New Zealand mile record for a mare of 1.58.5 as a 4yr-old. She won six of her 12 starts. She became the dam of Franco Tiger, who won his two stars for Ryder at Forbury Park and Addington in 1989 before he was sold to Australia. The Bo Scots Blue Chip gelding won the Miracle Mile, Australian Pacing Championship and Queensland Pacing Championship in 1992 and the South Australian Cup and Treuer Memorial the following year.
By The Way won six trotting races.
Ryder won the main race at the Reefton Jockey Club meeting as an owner-trainer with Master Conclusion in 1963. He also stood the thoroughbred stallions Red Jester and Prince Mahal at stud.
