Ryan Farnham "Buster" Parnell (c.1934 – 17 September 2017) was an Irish jockey who competed in

Flat racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...

. Parnell was Irish flat racing Champion Jockey in 1969 and won three

Irish Classic Races The Irish Classics are five Group One horse races run at The Curragh racecourse during the flat racing season. They mirror the British Classic Races, the original five "classics", with one minor exception. The Irish St. Leger is open to horses o ...

. He was born in Fulham and rode his first winner in 1950. He subsequently served in the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

before returning to horse racing and becoming champion jockey in Denmark. He spent the majority of his career in Ireland. His son, David Parnell, was also a jockey. He died in Copenhagen in September 2017, aged 83.

References

1930s births 2017 deaths Irish jockeys {{Ireland-bio-stub