Ryan Tongue
Director
A good way to sum up Ryan Tongue is if you ask about his favourite horses. He’ll probably mention three; Best Mate, Denman and Captain Tom Cat.
Best Mate because that evokes his earliest racing memories. Ryan was just starting to ride ponies and after hearing about this mystical horse, owned by a wonderful local man called Jim Lewis, and trained by Henrietta Knight and the incomparable Terry Biddlecombe, his passion for horse racing was ignited.
Mention Denman and he’ll launch into a word-perfect commentary of the final half mile of the 2008 Cheltenham Gold Cup, when Denman vanquished Kauto Star. If you’d told the 12-year-old Ryan in 2008 that one day he’d have horses with champion trainer Paul Nicholls, and more great yards besides, he might well have agreed with you!
Deva has been part of Ryan’s life since 2019, but he has been immersed in the racing industry for much longer. He graduated from the British Racing School in Newmarket during a three-year stint working for trainer Oliver Greenall.
His aptitude for studying form and communicating with people gained him work experience at Channel 4 Racing. To this day he hosts racegoers at tracks from Cheltenham to Windsor. He loves to find time to raise funds for charities such as St Richards Hospice, Primrose Hospice, Midlands Air Ambulance and the Injured Jockeys’ Association.
Prior to taking over at Deva Racing, he oversaw a 45-strong team of horses as Racing Manager for high-profile NH owners. This exposed him to seeing first-hand how Nicky Henderson worked.
With over 20 horses and boasting winners in Ireland, France and Dubai, Deva is a reflection of Ryan’s ambition and overall strategy. In the last 12 months, Ryan has expanded into the bloodstock area, buying for both NH and on the flat.
He places great emphasis on horse welfare, having built an excellent association with Amanda and Matthew Mills of Broadhead Worcester, for retraining and re-homing horses. Billy Worthington is another part of the team, using his superb skills to rest, rehab and pre-train horses before they head back to their yards.
Deva currently sponsors two jockeys; Cillin Leonard, based at Richard Newland, and David England at Olly Murphy.
And what of Captain Tom Cat? A charismatic personality, and Deva’s most talented NH horse to date. He was a 7-time winner, including a Grade 2 and is the apple of Ryan’s eye.