Roydon Downey and his trotters

Kumeu trainer Roydon Downey loves his trotters and all twenty of his winners have been in that gait.

It’s extra special to Downey that they are all from the Sanchiola bloodline which was developed by his late father Errol.

“It’s a pretty good breed. The grandmother (Sanchiola) was a good mare and won fifteen in what was a good era of trotters,” he said.

She won the Ashburton Trotters Flying Mile and was placed in the Greenlane Cup, the Lyell Creek Stakes and the Cambridge Trotters Flying Mile twice. She raced against the likes of Pride Of Petite, Merinai, Buster Hanover, Chiola Cola, David Moss, Eastburn Grant and Diamond Field.

As a broodmare Sanchiola left five foals, the best being her first, Kyvalley Road (Lindy Lane).

Kyvalley Road won twenty of his twenty seven starts in Australia and his biggest wins were the G1 Victoria Trotters Derby, the Redwood and the VHRC Holmfield. His last two races were as a pacer and he won his final race in that gait.

Other winners out of Sanchiola have been Sansinvasion (Armbro Invasion) the winner of one, Sanchipola (Pine Chip) which won eight and Sanchez Son (Lindy Lane) which won once.

Sanchipola has also been very successful at stud, leaving Errol D (5), Sans Au Revior (10) and Santapazienza (6).

“He’s (Santapazienza) won three in a row and is probably the best one at the moment. He’s straightforward and an awesome little horse to have round the place. He’s easy to train and backs up week in week out. He’s had about twenty five starts this year (laughter).”

Santapazienza is currently sitting in second place on the Harness 5000 leaderboard (Ashburton) for Five Year Old and Older Trotters.

“He went down last year and ran fourth. I see they’ve dropped the stake from $60,000 to $40,000. He would have to go down there and win it to make it worthwhile. I don’t know why they don’t split it and have one (race) in the north and one in the south at $20,000 each. You’re not going to get many North Islanders go for forty grand. My little horse won a $25,000 Winter Rewards race and a $20,000 Junior Drivers race as well, so why would you go all the way down to Ashburton?”

Downey has two sets of colours and the grey with the Maltese cross belonged to his father.

“We used those with Saniarmbro but she finished racing last year and is in foal to Carlton. Anything out of her I’ll continue to leave his colours on. She was his favourite last horse.”

Downey senior got his start in the sport by having a share in Sweet Lady Kenwood which won the 1991 Sires’ Stakes Three Year Fillies Championship at Addington when driven by Peter Jones.

Trained by Murray MacMillan she won by a length and a half and paid $26.35 and $5.35.

“He also had shares in Chiola Hanover with National Bloodstock. He had a falling out with a bunch of owners and he was left with this mare. He had a free service to Chiola Hanover and the foal ended up being Sanchiola. He started training them for himself and did alright for a hobby trainer. He was a painter decorator who started training at Dairy Flat and then we moved to Kumeu twenty seven years ago.”

Errol trained 62 winners but was tragically killed in a car accident in November 2017.

On the breeding side Roydon says he’s looking at putting Sans Au Revoir in foal this coming breeding season.

“We’ve narrowed it down to two – Gimpanzee (Chapter Seven) and In Range (Bar Hopping) who stands at Yabby Dam Farms. Both are doing well in the States. We’re leaning towards Gimpanzee. It’s a pretty good line so you don’t want to go to anything cheap.”

As a young man Roydon first worked for Ray Green when he was based at the Kumeu track and his first winner as a junior driver was Wesley Sniper for Doug Gale at Te Aroha in January 2005.

He still drives and has reined ninety three winners.

Downey has been training for ten years and he and his wife Claire live in Kumeu.

“She’s from Christchurch and when she was down there (Canterbury) she worked for Ken Barron.”

Their ten acre property backs onto the racecourse which Roydon now looks after.

“I lease another five (acres) next door. We’ve only got three boxes but our horses are mainly paddock trained anyway. We’re only about fifteen minutes away from Muriwai Beach so we do a little bit of beach work every now and then just to spark them up.”

He says there’s plenty of space at the Kumeu track for new or young trainers to set themselves up.

“Theres a barn and paddocks out the back available, but not many people are getting into the industry.”

For the last fifteen years, thirty nine year old Downey has worked full-time as a farrier and shoes for Woodlands Stud and trainers Barry Purdon and Scott Phelan.

“I do all the stallions when they’re over here and all their yearlings for the sales and the broodmares that come and go. There’s plenty of work and sometimes I go to Woodlands twice a week.”

He says Bettor’s Delight is the best horse he’s shod.

“He’s the King (laughter).”

He’s shod horses like Jacks Legend and Belle Of Montana for Barry Purdon and has also shod the stallions that come over from the States like What The Hill, Bettor’s Delight, Downbytheseaside and Sweet Lou.

“Stallions can be quite strong and if they want to throw you around, they will.”

Downey has no plans to expand and is happy to continue training the breed he knows so well.

“They’re consistent. I usually don’t like racing them as two and three year olds. I believe if you’re patient with them you get the money later on. If you rush them too much they learn how to gallop (laughter). It’s handy having Alexandra Park just down the road and the stakes are still good there.”

by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink