Galway jockey Rossa Ryan joined an exclusive roll-of-honour – one that includes Frankie Dettori, Ryan Moore, and Kieran Fallon – when he rode the winner in Europe’s biggest horserace in Paris recently.

The 24-year-old from Ballinderry near Tuam was the toast of Longchamp as he partnered British filly Bluestocking to claim the Qatar sponsored Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe last Sunday week.

The former student of St Jarlath’s College and Corofin footballer – now based in Hungerford, Berkshire in England – gave a confident ride to the Ralph Beckett trained filly in the €5m feature.

With odds of 5/1, the pair finish strongly in the 1m4f prestigious race, a length ahead of Aventure, and Aidan O’Brien’s Los Angeles.

Ryan grew up in a National Hunt yard operated by his father, David, where he developed a love of horseracing.

Since moving to England as a teenager he’s had many successes, not least a Group 1 win in last year’s July Cup, but this is by far his biggest win.

Speaking after the race, Ryan said: “A horse can really change your life, and she has mine. I know everyone overlooked her, but on form she had been at the top table and done it all. She just proved she’s something else. I can’t really believe it; this filly has been something else to my career.”

His proud father, David, whose wife and daughter travelled to France for the race, said he never thought in ‘a million years’ that his son would win the Arc.

“We’re from the West of Ireland, from Corofin in County Galway, you just don’t expect days like today. To have your son come back and win their biggest race, is just magic, it’s magic,” he told Horse Racing Ireland.

“I didn’t give him a chance today, I couldn’t fancy him, because I was saying she hadn’t been trained for the race, do you know? Like, she didn’t even make the entries. But Beckett knows how to train one.

“He’s an unbelievable trainer . . . We’re just delighted to be here to soak up the occasion. We tried to convince a few from home to come, but nobody seemed to be interested! But it’s great,” he added.

Pictured: Rossa Ryan….Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner.