Ali Keating’s champion jockey boyfriend has playfully described his girlfriend as ‘a grade one filly’ during a recent interview.
The daughter of Boyzone singer and model Yvonne Connolly has been dating Rossa Ryan for several months, after the couple announced their relationship in June of this year.
During a recent interview with Great British Racing, Rossa appeared reluctant when asked to describe his relationship in horse racing terms.
‘Like my relationship in general, with my girlfriend?’ he asked, before questioning: ‘What do you mean?’
‘Oh that’s not good,’ the Galway man laughed before confessing: ‘Honestly, I think I have a group one filly on my hands. I’ve done fair well.’ Rossa was asked the question in a video for Great British Racing, which they shared on social media.
But Ali appeared to be impressed with the comment, agreeing that it was a ‘top tier compliment.’ The couple confirmed their relationship in June, as they stepped out together at the Royal Ascot in Berkshire.
The relationship came as a shock to fans, after Ali quietly split from her ex-boyfriend, Mikey Sheehy, who was also a professional jockey. Rossa was competing at Ascot and ended up securing a win in the Copper Horse Stakes by a head, riding the British horse, Daiquiri Bay.
The 21-year-old shared a snippet from inside her relationship with Rossa, saying it’s nice to date someone who understands the industry she is also involved in.
In an interview with the Sunday Independent, Ali said the couple are ‘very happy’ together, adding that it helps that the pair have so much in common with the horse racing industry.
She said: ‘Yeah, it’s great to… someone that you get on with in the sense of, you’re in the same industry and you have the same idea of things.
‘It was never a make or break for me, you know, but we definitely have something in common, which is great.’
