By Jordan Gerrans
After years of working in an underground mine in Mt Isa and dreaming of having a crack at training on a full-time basis, Steven Royes has finally pulled the trigger.
The stalwart of North West Queensland has shown over the years he can compete with the best of them in the bush, finishing in the top ten for the country trainers’ premiership last campaign.
And, with a solid financial base behind him and his family, the 56-year-old has relocated to Townsville on the eve of the TAB Northern Queensland Winter Racing Carnival.
He grabbed a winner late last month at Cluden Park with Dusky Damsel and the team has Margie Bee in Thursday’s feature event at Townsville, the $50,000 Belle of the Burdekin.
While Royes and his young family enjoyed their time in Mt Isa, the decision was made to head to the coast to improve their quality of life, while also timing it with their children’s private schooling.
Royes’ wife ran a veterinarian business in Mt Isa while he worked as a supervisor in an underground mine.
The family had owned a property at Wulguru in Townsville for years and would use the stables there when they would campaign horses over previous carnivals.
And, every year, Royes would think they were a step closer to making a permanent move, before finally making the call earlier this year.
“It was a plan we put in place a while ago but it just had to be the moment that was right,” Royes remembers.
“Every year since 2016 I had put it off and finally we said this is it.
“It was tough to walk away from the jobs we had in Mt Isa as we were both on a fair wage, to come to Townsville for zero, it is a big thing to make that decision.
“Every year since then I kept getting pay rises in my job and I eventually thought, when is enough money enough, because the quality of living in Townsville for the kids will be much better.
“Sometimes all the money in the world does not buy quality of life.”
Royes has a barn of eight boxes at Wulguru – which backs onto the Cluden Park track – and will try his hand at training on a full-time basis for the remainder of the year.
They have recently invested $50,000 worth of upgrades into the stables.
He owns a handful of the gallopers he trains while also being open to taking on horses for outside clients.
While training on dirt tracks in the North West is a different ball game to carnival time in NQ, Royes has the runs on the board.
He has prepared more than 20 winners in each of the last three seasons and has won many races at Mackay and Townsville in years gone by when he has made the trip across.
“We worked hard for a lot of years and we are relaxing now until the end of the year,” Royes said.
“If I cannot train a winner then I will go back to work.