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Laughs flow freely as Newmarket raises a glass to trainer Mick Ryan
Mick Ryan (left) with Dave 'Shippy' Ellis (centre) and Pat Flavin
Trainer Mick Ryan was well remembered at his funeral in the town last month, after which his great friend Dave 'Shippy' Ellis gave his own amusing tribute at one of Ryan's favourite watering holes.
The Heath Court Hotel was packed to hear stories of high jinks across the globe from Ellis, who was agent at the time to Ryan's stable jockey Philip Robinson.
Always a great orator, Ellis said: "One of the last things MJ said to me was that if he died first would I put a screwdriver inside his coffin!"
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David MilnesNewmarket correspondent
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more inComment
- We know that times are tight - but racecourses really do need to step up and improve outdated weighing rooms
- The budget has heaped even more trouble on racing - and I fear many trainers will now decide the numbers just don't add up
- Why I think Cheltenham Festival handicaps need to change - JP McManus writes exclusively for the Racing Post
- No-one has ever emerged from the womb wearing a trilby - racing's future survival hangs on pursuing a young audience
- Four score and ten just a number to Peter Harris as July Cup triumph shows there's more to the elderly than medical conditions