An Interview With Vanessa Ryle

Sky Sports Racing presenter Vanessa Ryle shares insights on her career, podcasting success, and passion for horse racing.

Vanessa Ryle started from the bottom with a dream and heaps of gusto. Her school years weren’t the easiest but there had been hints of her present vocation – ‘My dyslexia hadn’t made me good at reading and writing but I was OK at talking!’. Now, a well-established presenter on Sky Sports Racing as well as a podcaster on the Running Loose, Vanessa is a self-confessed lover of racing. Her enthusiasm is infectious and her adoration for this sport is all too evident.

‘I’m fascinated,’ she explained. ‘by the training of racehorses. Early on at Sky, it was clear that no body trains identically. Obviously, there are similarities but everyone has different theories. I just love that there are literally hundred of ways to train a racehorse, and no one has the formular nailed down.’

Both horses and media are in Vanessa’s blood: ‘I had lots of connections to media through my parents and to the horsey side through my mother,’. Her mother Sallie used to showjump at a high level for Harvey Smith and in her mid-thirties, moved into media, starting out at Yorkshire Television. Sallie worked her way up through the media ranks, becoming Head of Media and PR at ITV until retirement. Her father Nick was a documentary film maker and in the music industry.

Vanessa, 34, lives in Banbury, Oxfordshire and grew up in Ilkley, West Yorkshire, which will always be home. The ‘loves’ of Vanessa’s life are her two Jack Russell terriers, Bear and Rufus. She has a hunter Bridie and ‘the new addition’ is Cap Du Mathan, who once jumped round the Aintree Foxhunters’ and was gifted to her by owners The Stewart Family and trainer Paul Nicholls. Vanessa pins hope on him to become a team chaser.

Did you have a horsey childhood? After learning to ride at a riding school, when I was about 11, I got a little grey pony called Whisky Nip. He did gymkhanas, Pony Club, Pony Club camp and shows. He was a love of my childhood and was to blame for me being completely pony mad. I was quite a nervous rider but when things clicked, we whizzed about and tried to win at lots of gymkhanas.

How did you glean an interest in racing? Being pony mad and learning to ride led incrementally led to watching horses on the television. Of course, the only way you can watch horses on the television is to watch racing. I initially started got hooked because I saw a grey racehorse and my pony was grey.

How did you combine your love of racing and presenting? I can't say I wanted to be a presenter from a young age. I left school at sixteen and got a National Diploma in Childcare because, in my head, I wanted to be a nanny. I went to work for a family with five children – all so adorable, and we've kept in touch. During my time nannying, I always put the racing on and became interested in watching it through the week, not just on a Saturday.

With this growing interest and my parents’ connections to the media, I started querying the possibility of presenting. Mum organised a few bits of work experience. I went to the Racing Post for a week as well as starting a blog, which I sent to a contact of Mum’s at the old At The Races. I had a meeting with the then-chief executive Matthew Imi, and walked into his office, saying, ‘I want to the TV presenter, a racing presenter – how do I get there, what do I need to do? Tell me and I'll do it.’ He said there wasn't a job for me because I had absolutely no qualifications, no experience and had never worked in a racing yard but he offered me a work experience placement with low level expenses paid! I went in for three months and have never left.

At The Races became Sky Sports Racing and I carried over with them. I went from office assistant, producer to features producer so I did a lot behind the scenes before I went on air. The one thing I can recommend is that behind the scenes gives you a better understanding of how television works, what’s expected of you and what your producer wants than if you just go in front of the camera first.

I eventually got rocking and rolling when I was given opportunities with pre-recorded stuff and news interviews out and about. When Sky Sports bought At The Races, they told me that autumn that I’d be going live.

By the process of how these things work, I went freelance and more opportunities came about. It's not all plain sailing, but it's pretty good and I really love it. At Wolverhampton when the best level of eight races might be a class 5 handicap, I'll have such a great day. I love talking to people and about horseracing, and I love working a puzzle out so it's the perfect job for me.

Where have you ridden out? I only started riding out this summer – it's a new challenge for me! – at Stuart Edmunds’ because a friend, Holly, rides out there and has a really lovely time. I thought if I was ever going to ride out then that'd be the place. I do two or three lots five days a week. It's something I wanted to do for a long time but hadn't plucked up courage, but it was now or never and its really good fun. In the future, it will add another string to my presenting bow.

Favourite racehorse: I loved Kauto Star, which is a bit original, I'm afraid. He was in his pomp when I was getting into racing. When he won the Betfair Chase for the fifth time, I remember thinking I'd never cared for something that much in my life.

Favourite racecourse: I don't really have a favourite racecourse as such – the people make a racecourse. If I had to pick one, I’d pick Hexham. It's so beautiful, like a local point-to-point track and everyone is so friendly. I love a trip to Hexham – I don't get too many of those shifts but when I do, the journey is always worth it.

Favourite jockey: I judge my favourite jockeys on how they are after a race. There are loads of jockeys if they win a race, I'll be like ‘yes, they'll give a good interview.’ Kieran Shoemark is a good jockey, gives a good interview and always says something interesting. In our job, we’re always looking for when someone says above and beyond the normal. Some of the younger lads are great: William Pyle is a great talker and Charlie Bishop is another one and he's having a great summer.

Favourite trainer: I couldn't not say Stuart Edmunds because he's looked after me with riding out.

Has racing ever taken you abroad? I've been racing to France and to a few Breeders’ Cups for an American-based media company, including Del Mar, Santa Anita and Keenland.

Do you prefer Flat or National Hunt? When I started out, I was a National Hunt girl through and through, and didn't have any interest on the Flat. Then, when I first kicked off at Sky, they said I had to get my head in the Flat game because I couldn't have a job for only half the year! Now, I love it fifty-fifty. I like the variety and enjoy all racing.

Favourite day presenting so far: I tend to be a solo presenter so I’m mostly on my own. My favourite day recently was when I was on course with Jamie Lynch at Chester. At work, Jamie is the main analyst and a friend of mine. It’s a great day to do Chester on my own and it was a dream day to do Chester with my pal! I loved every minute.

Which presenter do you admire? There’s a list of presenters who are really good but Gina Bryce is brilliant, does an excellent job and is underrated. She’d very committed to Sky Sports, has two children so has a lot of other stuff on and she’s another great friend. She definitely falls into the inspiration category because she’s so clever and rarely drops the ball, presenting and hosting in a way that is charming with a real warmth and intelligence. One of the signs of a good presenter is an easy watch and Gina is a really easy watch.

What do you love about racing? I love the uncertainty. We live in 2025 and are bombarded by data and information, but racing remains such an uncertain sport.

As well, I love that every horse running on the track has a minimum of ten people to get it to that point. Whatever level a horse wins at, there's still that army of people behind it and it's still a winner. Some of the best interviews I've done is after a class 5 handicap or the horse that won its fifteenth race from a hundred starts or lost its maiden tag at the fortieth time of asking but some owners have persevered and somebody somewhere has put in time, money, energy into that horse.

Please say about your podcast: Me and Francesca Cumani started Running Loose in the spring of this year with the aim of putting something out there for racing fans that’s simply light-hearted. There's a lot of a good racing and betting podcasts that are heavier. Both of us didn't think there was anything in horse racing that was fun and female centric (we don't want it to be a podcast for women in racing but at the same time, it’s definitely female centric in its nature). As it’s turned out, there's been a big appetite for it and a lot of great feedback. Every time I go out on course, people say, ‘I've listened to your podcast!’ I've done podcasts with a bigger reach, but I've never had such a level of feedback since Running Loose. We both feel it's very much early days but it's going to develop – and it's great to have Old Gold Racing on board. It's got a strong foundation of listeners and it's a good laugh.

Favourite meal: My next-door neighbour’s lasagna – I’d die and go to heaven for it. Every time he cooks it, he brings me round a piece.

Favourite drink: Gin and tonic is, indeed, my favourite drink.

Favourite snack: A bag of salty crisps.

Favourite holiday destination: Italy. As kids, we spent a lot of time in a Tuscan villa and it’s still my idea of heaven – down a rambling lane, no one around for miles, a big pool, a lot of pasta and sun – that sort of vibe is my ideal holiday.

Favourite film: I don't watch loads of films but I've watched The Holiday about a hundred and fifty times.

Favourite book: I try to read a trashy novel on holiday but my favourite book is Horsetrader by Patrick and Nick Robinson. It’s about the setting up and the early days of Coolmore and is brilliant.

Favourite music: Fleetwood Mac every time.

Other hobbies: I do a lot of walking with the dogs and team chasing and country pursuits with my own horses.

Hopes for the future: I'd like to be ultimately presenting on the bigger days with the bigger horses. To be able to react live about those big racing moments is the place to be.