IT’S getting a little ridiculous now – but in a good way!

Rossa Ryan is only 24 and he has already claimed two of the biggest prizes in flat racing in an unforgettable season.

At this rate of going, there will be few racing frontiers for the Corofin native to conquer by his late twenties.

Ryan, whose haul of 110 winners saw him finish second to Oisín Murphy in this year’s UK Jockeys’ Championship, pulled off another sensational big-race triumph on Saturday.

Just weeks after being the toast of Longchamp when steering Bluestocking to glory in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, Ryan also went into the Breeders’ Cup folklore by winning on his only ride at Del Mar in California.

Partnering 34/1 outsider Starlust for the Ralph Beckett stable in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint, Ryan anchored his mount in the rear before a daring run up the inside saw the UK challenger swoop late to deny Motorious in a blanket finish.

It was a brilliantly judged piece of horsemanship from the Galway jockey and, no wonder, Beckett was loud in his praise of Ryan post-race.

“Wow, what a ride he gave him. What a ride – I’m very proud of what Rossa’s achieved this year. It’s extraordinary. Starlust is a really tough horse.”

The young man on board took another big-race triumph is his stride. “Ralph left it up to me. I jumped well. Ralph said over five try to jump well but after half a furlong take a little pull. Luck was on my side today, the gap opened, and he took it well.

“By the top of the straight I thought we would be in the first four, but they couldn’t hold that frenetic gallop and it just played into my hands. It’s a fairytale ending to a great season.”

Ryan wasn’t the only Galway jockey savouring big-race success over the weekend. Craughwell’s Danny Gilligan saw his trip to Wetherby pay off on Saturday when veteran Beacon Edge came out on top in a slowly-run Grade Two West Yorkshire Hurdle for the Gordon Elliott stable.

A third local jockey also visited the winners’ enclosure in the past week. Castlegar’s Stephen Connor was seen to good effect on the Stephen Crawford trained Paddy’s Milestone which landed the Lough Construction Ltd Handicap Royal at Down Royal last Friday.

Pictured: Starlust and Galway jockey Rossa Ryan swoop late to take the Breeders Cup Turf Sprint at Del Mar on Saturday. Photo: Edward Whitaker/Racing Post.