{{Short description|British National Hunt jockey}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} {{Infobox horseracing personality |name = Ryan Mania |image= |caption = |occupation = National Hunt jockey |birth_place = Galashiels, Scotland, United Kingdom |birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=y|1989|12|23}} |death_date = |career wins = |race = 2013 Grand National |horses = Auroras Encore |updated = }} '''Ryan Mania''' (born 23 December 1989) is a British National Hunt jockey from Galashiels,<ref>{{cite news|publisher=JPI Media|work=The Southern Reporter|title=Grand National win for Gala's Ryan Mania|url=http://www.thesouthernreporter.co.uk/sport/horse-racing/grand-national-win-for-gala-s-ryan-mania-1-2881292|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304190244/http://www.thesouthernreporter.co.uk/sport/horse-racing/grand-national-win-for-gala-s-ryan-mania-1-2881292|url-status=dead|archive-date=4 March 2016|date=8 April 2013}}</ref> most famous for winning the 2013 Grand National on the Sue Smith-trained Auroras Encore, at starting odds of 66/1.
==Early life and career== Mania was born in 1989, in Galashiels, Scotland to joiner Kevin and mental health worker Lesley Mania, who first sat him on a Shetland pony aged three.<ref name="Recap">{{cite news|title=Grand National winner Ryan Mania to remain in hospital|url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/horse-racing/22062052|accessdate=4 April 2018|work=BBC Sport|date=8 April 2013}}</ref> He began working with point-to-point horses aged 12, and rode for Peter Monteith and subsequently for Howard Johnson, before Johnson lost his trainer's licence at the end of 2011.
At this point he left jump racing to work for his local hunt, the Fife Foxhounds as whipper-in.<ref name="Herald">{{cite news|title=Ryan Mania becomes first Scots jockey to win National in 117 years|url=http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/13099282.Ryan_Mania_becomes_first_Scots_jockey_to_win_National_in_117_years/|accessdate=4 April 2018|work=HeraldScotland|date=7 April 2013|publisher=Herald & Times Group}}</ref> But over the winter, he started feeling he was missing out after seeing horses running which he had ridden previously and, encouraged by his agent, Bruce Jeffrey, he returned to ride for Sue Smith.<ref name=Herald/><ref name=Muscat>{{cite news |title=National hero staying calm in eye of the media storm |author= Muscat, Julian |newspaper=Racing Post |location=London |date=13 April 2013 }}</ref>
==2013 Grand National== Mania had his first ride in the Grand National in 2013,<ref>{{cite news|title=Grand National 2013: Debutant jockey Ryan Mania wins on 66/1 shot Auroras Encore|date=6 April 2013|url=http://metro.co.uk/2013/04/06/grand-national-2013-debutant-jockey-ryan-mania-wins-on-auroras-encore-3585773/|work=Metro|publisher=DMG Media|first=Danny|last=Griffiths}}</ref> and was the unexpected winner, riding 66/1 outsider Auroras Encore, and winning by nine lengths. As a 23-year-old, he was one of the youngest people to ever win the Grand National, and was also the first Scottish jockey to win the race for 117 years.<ref name=Herald/> He had previously been beaten by a head on the horse in the 2012 Scottish Grand National.<ref name=Muscat />
He made further headlines through a fall on a different horse for Sue Smith the following day, which saw him airlifted to the Royal Victoria Infirmary hospital with suspected neck and back injuries.<ref>{{cite news|title=Grand National:Ryan Mania Stays in Hospital|url=http://news.sky.com/story/1075148/grand-national-ryan-mania-stays-in-hospital|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130410080104/http://news.sky.com/story/1075148/grand-national-ryan-mania-stays-in-hospital|url-status=dead|archive-date=10 April 2013|date=8 April 2013|publisher=Sky News}}</ref> It was later discovered he had fractured a vertebra at the base of his neck.<ref name=Muscat /> He returned to race riding on the first day of the Scottish Grand National meeting at Ayr on 19 April 2013.<ref name=Birch>{{cite news |title=National hero Mania back in the saddle and raring to go |first=Richard|last=Birch |newspaper=Racing Post |location=London |date=19 April 2013 }}</ref>
==Retirement== Mania announced his retirement from riding in November 2014 at the age of 25, citing problems maintaining his riding weight as the main reason and saying that he no longer got a "kick out of winning"<ref>{{cite news|title=Ryan Mania: Grand National-winning jockey retires at 25|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/horse-racing/30203141|publisher=BBC Sport|access-date=26 November 2014}}</ref> After retiring from jump racing he worked as a kennel huntsman for the Braes of Derwent Hunt<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/11836771.winning-jockey-joins-north-east-hunt/|title=Winning jockey joins North-East hunt|accessdate=20 January 2020|work=Northern Echo|author=Gavin Havery|date=5 March 2015|publisher= Newsquest Media Group}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/apr/07/grand-national-ryan-mania|date=7 April 2015|work=The Guardian|title=Grand National winner Ryan Mania: how pressure to lose weight made me retire|author=Michael Butler|accessdate=20 January 2020}}</ref> and as master huntsman for the Berwickshire hunt.<ref name=LeadingPack>{{cite news|url=https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/analysis/ryan-mania-the-jockey-leading-the-pack-and-hunting-new-aintree-glory-1-8192409|title=Ryan Mania: The jockey leading the pack and hunting new Aintree glory|work=Yorkshire Post|accessdate=20 January 2020|publisher=JPI Media|date=20 October 2016}}</ref>
During his retirement he rode in a charity race at Aintree, the scene of his Grand National triumph, in aid of the Countryside Alliance.<ref name=LeadingPack/> He also had a spell as assistant trainer to Sandy Thomson, a National Hunt trainer in the Scottish Borders.<ref name=Ryanewed/>
==Comeback to racing== Mania made his comeback as a National Hunt jockey in October 2019, citing improvements in sports nutrition which allowed him to manage his weight more effectively than previously, as well as family influences and rediscovering his appreciation of the sport.<ref name=Ryanewed>{{cite news|url=https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/sport/more-sport/exclusive-grand-national-winner-ryan-mania-comes-out-of-retirement-with-a-renewed-appetite-to-compete-1-10070426|title=Exclusive - Grand National winner Ryan Mania comes out of retirement with a renewed appetite to compete|author=Tom Richmond|work=Yorkshire Post|accessdate=20 January 2020|publisher=JPI Media|date=25 October 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.racingpost.com/news/rejuvenated-ryan-mania-ready-for-comeback-after-winning-battle-with-the-scales/406045|title=Rejuvenated Ryan Mania ready for comeback after winning battle with the scales|author=David Baxter|work=Racing Post|accessdate=20 January 2020|date=26 October 2019}}</ref> The first race of his comeback was aboard Fair Minx at Ayr with his mount finishing seventh of ten runners.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/sport/more-sport/ryan-mania-unplaced-as-grand-national-hero-makes-comeback-at-ayr-1-10073141|title=Ryan Mania unplaced as Grand National hero makes comeback at Ayr|author=Tom Richmond|work=Yorkshire Post|accessdate=20 January 2020|publisher=JPI Media|date=28 October 2019}}</ref>
Mania rode Hill Sixteen at the 2023 Grand National who fell at the first fence and died almost immediately from their injuries.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Tom |first1=English |title=Grand National 2023: Trainer Sandy Thomson on the death of horse Hill Sixteen |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/horse-racing/65309466 |access-date=19 April 2023 |publisher=BBC}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mania, Ryan}} Category:Scottish jockeys Category:1989 births Category:Living people Category:Sportspeople from Galashiels