Everyone at York Racecourse is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Tom O’Ryan;  far too soon for a man who gave so much to Yorkshire racing and those around him.

Our condolences go to Wendy, Robin and all those close to him.

He was a man of many talents and these were displayed in his roles as jockey, journalist, broadcaster, analyst and this season at York, as our raceday announcer.

For many jockeys he was a great mentor.

From a York Racecourse perspective, all the participants in the Macmillan Ride of Their Lives Race benefitted from the support and guidance that he offered to them. He gave freely of his time offering both technical and practical advice that saw each rider give of their best and most importantly return safe, thereby securing their fund raising. So it is a cruel irony that he himself, was only able to draw down the support of Macmillan, for such a brief time.

His good humour and clever turn of phrase enriched newspaper articles, racing broadcasts and so many lunches, dinners and indeed eulogies that it is hard to contemplate such events without him.

Rest In Peace Tom.