Steven Royes grateful for Hedley support

By Glenn Davis

With a season strike-rate of 16%, Townsville trainer Steven Royes can’t thank North Queensland’s biggest owner Tom Hedley enough.

Royes was a former mines supervisor in Mount Isa and Cloncurry in the state’s North West when he took a bold gamble to relocate to Townsville three years.

The 59-year-old former hobby trainer had a handful of horses in work at Mount Isa while working as a fly-in fly-out supervisor.

But, since moving to Townsville, he’s now training full-time with a stable of 16.

He’s based at Wulguru which backs on to Townsville’s Cluden Park.

Royes had a quiet start when he initially arrived in North Queensland but his fortunes quickly turned after linking with Hedley, who is President of the Cairns Jockey Club.

Hedley raced most of his horses with leading Cairns trainer Stephen Massingham and champion trainer Roy Chillemi who later culled his stable as he inched closer to retirement.

“Tom is my main man and I train 12 horses for him,” Royes said.

“When I first came to Townsville, I had a bit of early success when a mate recommended me to Tom.

“Tom had a few overflow horses at the time and I was Johnny on the spot and got a few.

“Tom is one of those blokes that if you do the right thing by him, he’ll do the right thing by you.

“But, if you don’t give him 100 per cent, then he won’t either.”

Royes is pleased with his strike-rate of 16% which also includes a 48% place strike-rate.

“It’s not a bad strike-rate for an old battling trainer up north,” Royes said.

“But, I wish I could swap them around.”

Royes is hopeful of improving his striking performance when he heads to Mackay on Tuesday with four starters.

He rates Coppabella Road in the 0 - 55 Handicap and Go Getaboy in the Open Handicap as the stable’s best hopes.

Coppabella Road is coming off a last start third at Townsville on October 25 while Go Getaboy was successful in a 1300 metre Open Plate at Ewan on October 19.

“Coppabella Road was a bit unlucky from his alley last start,” Royes said.

“He had to do a lot of work and the rail was out seven metres.

“Go Getaboy’s win at Ewan was good, but it was a different class of race. He’s been a great horse and should be competitive again.”