The second weekend of racing at Rocky Mountain Turf Club featured the majority of races having fields of seven or eight horses and with the arrival of Saskatoon and Winnipeg horses this weeks, the fields will only continue to swell. The Community Circuit in Alberta continues to demonstrate their purpose and usefulness in the horse racing community.

The highlight race took place on Sunday when the first leg of the Marathon Series started up going a mile and a sixteenth. Jacqueline Smith's, "Racing Ray", put up the victory as he was ridden perfectly by jockey Larris Allen. Godfrey Waselhead pulled off a long shot finish with, "Lucky B.N.", who was ridden by Dwight Lewis and made a huge charge down the stretch to pick up second-place honors.

One of the bright new faces on the Community Circuit in Alberta is that of Ryan Nelson.

Ryan Nelson first became involved with horses at the age of twelve, when in Jamaica where he grew up, he was surrounded by horses. He was inspired by riders at the track in Jamaica, such as Andrew Wright and Larris Allen, who are currently plying their trade on the community circuit in Alberta.

Ryan raced at the Jamaica track from 2012 to 2018. In April of 2019, Ryan decided to bring his skills to Canada and originally chose Marquis Downs in Saskatoon as his Canadian destination. After two months in Saskatoon, fellow Jamaican Alberta riders, Larris Allen and Orlando Foster reached out to him to make the move to Alberta, and Ryan does not have a moment of regret on his coming to Alberta.

Ryan quickly tied in with trainers Len Hambly and Les Adams as their first-call riders and has never looked back. Ryan is very grateful for the opportunities he has received and has high expectations for himself as the year progresses. Being in the top five in the jockey standings is very important to Ryan. He has several horses he loves to ride, but his favourite is Ms. Watson, out of Les Adams' barn.

Ryan's only love that tops horses is his love of Canada, and he is absolutely in love with this country. He says he will have to return to Jamaica after the season ends here and while he looks forward to spending time with his two children, he is already excited about coming back to Alberta to race again next year.

Ryan's future goals start with being a better man at all times and to become a full time resident of Canada. A dream come true would be to join either Tyrone or Dana Nelson, his cousins, who are riding in Winnipeg and Century Downs.

Ryan, along with Orlando Foster, are staying with Len Hambly at Len's acreage near Sterling and in exchange, they help Len out with barn chores. It is truly a case of synchronicity, as Len appreciates the help, and Ryan and Orlando appreciate the support of Len and his wife.

Ryan Nelson first became involved with horses at the age of twelve, when in Jamaica where he grew up, he was surrounded by horses. He was inspired by riders at the track in Jamaica, such as Andrew Wright and Larris Allen, who are currently plying their trade on the community circuit in Alberta.

Ryan raced at the Jamaica track from 2012 to 2018. In April of 2019, Ryan decided to bring his skills to Canada and originally chose Marquis Downs in Saskatoon as his Canadian destination. After two months in Saskatoon, fellow Jamaican Alberta riders, Larris Allen and Orlando Foster reached out to him to make the move to Alberta, and Ryan does not have a moment of regret on his coming to Alberta.

Ryan quickly tied in with trainers Len Hambly and Les Adams as their first-call riders and has never looked back. Ryan is very grateful for the opportunities he has received and has high expectations for himself as the year progresses. Being in the top five in the jockey standings is very important to Ryan. He has several horses he loves to ride, but his favourite is Ms. Watson, out of Les Adams' barn.

Ryan's only love that tops horses is his love of Canada, and he is absolutely in love with this country. He says he will have to return to Jamaica after the season ends here and while he looks forward to spending time with his two children, he is already excited about coming back to Alberta to race again next year.

Ryan's future goals start with being a better man at all times and to become a full time resident of Canada. A dream come true would be to join either Tyrone or Dana Nelson, his cousins, who are riding in Winnipeg and Century Downs.

Ryan, along with Orlando Foster, are staying with Len Hambly at Len's acreage near Sterling and in exchange, they help Len out with barn chores. It is truly a case of synchronicity, as Len appreciates the help, and Ryan and Orlando appreciate the support of Len and his wife.