Shaune Ritchie
In 1984 Shaune Ritchie was fifteen and still at school. Like many teenagers he had a part-time job – in his case working as a stablehand for his father Frank, mucking out boxes and riding work.
One afternoon, while working at the Ellerslie yard, he was told that a new horse had arrived earlier in the day and because Frank’s full-time staff had already picked their teams to strap for the season the new arrival would be his. An inspection of his new and sole team member brought Shaune Ritchie face-to-face with the horse that would set his career path in stone.
Bonecrusher had arrived.
Within three months Shaune had left school and was on the ride of his life. Fast forward 25 years – and acknowledge a fair amount of blood, sweat and tears in between – and Shaune Ritchie is now at the top of his game.
CHAMPION NZ TRAINER OF THE YEAR
Completing his most successful season ever in 2009/10, Shaune became just the third trainer – behind the legendary Colin Jillings and Dave O’Sullivan – to win the NZ Derby and NZ Oaks in the same season.
Add a New Zealand Cup, a Desert Gold Stakes and a Metropolitan Trophy to the mix and Ritchie’s five-win stakes haul banked him as New Zealand’s leading stake-money earner for that season.
Shaune, who has most definitely inherited the Ritchie ‘way with people’ and natural horsemanship, attributes his ability to attract and retain a loyal client base as one of his greatest assets.
Colm Murray
Born-and-bred Irishman Colm Murray joined Shaune Ritchie’s Cambridge stable in 2018 and the talented horseman is an integral member of the team.
“Colm is a natural horseman and he has that way about him that I think only the Kiwis and the Irish have with their horses,” Ritchie said.
“He gets to the stable each morning before me and is very keen and is exactly the right type of person that is great for racing and for our stable.
“We have a wonderful bunch of staff and he fits in very well.
“He is particularly good with the clients and they enjoy his company.
“When you are away from home you want someone like Colm at home looking after the team as it gives you real peace of mind.”
A former jumps jockey in his homeland, Murray made his way to New Zealand where he worked for another Cambridge trainer in Mark Forbes before finding his way to Ritchie. “He transferred over to us after leaving Mark’s stable and fitted in straight away,” Ritchie said.
The Training Partnership of Shaune Ritchie and Colm Murray
Cambridge 3493, New Zealand