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

jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase (horse racing), steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used ...

who competed in

Flat racing Horse racing is an equestrianism, equestrian performance activity, 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 spor ...

. Parnell was Irish flat racing Champion Jockey in 1969 and won three Irish Classic Races. He was born in

Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies in a loop on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea, London, Chelsea ...

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

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

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 20th-century Royal Air Force personnel People from Fulham Sportspeople from the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham Military personnel from the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham Royal Air Force airmen {{Ireland-bio-stub