Racing: Hard-case horseman now the head lad

They wanted Royce Dowling to wear a tie to Te Rapa races on Saturday.

It might have been his last official day as a trainer, but Dowling couldn't see the need for change.

Against his wishes he wore the tie, but when someone fussed over whether it was straight or not, it pushed the hard-case longtime Waikato horseman over the edge - Royce Dowling didn't care whether he looked sartorial or not.

It makes little difference to how you train a horse is his read on it.

The veteran horseman loves telling the story about someone who was to become a decent friend, former Sydney trainer Geoff Chapman, a medical doctor before and after his stint with horses.

"I remember at Rosehill in Sydney one year, I was walking Limitless back to the stables after trackwork and Geoff Chapman said, 'Have a look at this.'

"I was ambling along the street with the lead rope over my shoulder and my Maori shoes on.

"When Limitless came out on the Saturday and won by six lengths, Geoff Chapman shook his head and laughed. We became good friends."

If it mattered how you dressed, Royce Dowling wouldn't be one of the most respected trainers in the industry.

He can look as rough as a bear's bum, but he can catch a trout and train a horse as well as anyone you can name.

As he hits 70, Dowling has decided not to renew his trainer's licence for the 2009-10 season.

Like the now "retired' Trevor McKee, the only thing that will change is that he won't have to pay the $480 for the licence.

The working with horses will continue. So will the fishing that has been a major passion for decades.

Family friend and stable owner Michael O'Toole brought to Te Rapa on Saturday and displayed in the weighing room a 1955 photo of Royce Dowling beating Donny Campbell on Quantas at Ellerslie.

The elegance didn't match the horsemanship, but half a century ago things were different. Dowling, like most at that time, were brought up tough in the horse game.

His boss, respected Te Rapa trainer Ray Cotter, he says fed his staff well and worked them even better.

"It was hard, but you came out very streetwise."

Things have changed just a little too much for Royce Dowling to enjoy.

He yearns for the halcyon days of big crowds of the 1960s, 70s and early 80s. When mates like Colin Jillings, Peter Grieve, Herbie Dyke and many, many more would enjoy a drink during the racedays and often party on into the night when joined by another close friend, commentator Keith Haub at the end of the card.

"Young trainers are walking through the gates on racedays now with briefcases and leaving as soon as their last horse races."

The only time Dowling had need for a briefcase was when a punt resulted in too much folding to stuff into the pockets.

And he pulled plenty of them off.

He nearly pulled a couple of Melbourne Cups off as well. Mercator and Double Take both finished fourth in the big Flemington race and Mercator almost certainly would have been closer in Vintage Crop's Cup had it not rained.

Coruba was the best horse Royce Dowling trained and as versatile as he was he was never going to stretch his stamina index to the 3200m of the Melbourne Cup.

Had he been able to do so, Coruba was good enough to have won the Cup.

Dowling nearly pulled off a stunning feat with Coruba, whom he eventually took to France to race.

Coruba couldn't see out the 3200m of the Wellington Cup, but 48 hours later won the 2200m Summer Cup in 2:12.5, a Trentham track record that stood for years.

Seven days after the 3200m of the Wellington Cup, Coruba lined up in the race that is now the group one Thorndon Mile and was the biggest certainty beaten Dowling says he ever took to the races.

"He finished fourth to Copper Belt and should have won by lengths."

There will be lots of memories to hanker back to as he plays the trout.

And plenty of horses to assist daughter Linda Laing with at Cambridge.

And he'll have $480 extra to spend each year, but it won't be on ties.

* Horses come by names in the strangest ways.

Lamington Vegas?

Come up with a logical reason for naming the dashing winner of Saturday's $50,000 Experience Group Ryder Stakes at Otaki.

It makes sense to Stephen Lindsay and the other accounting staff at Tony Brown and Associates at Morrinsville.

They manage the New Zealand racing affairs of the inexperienced filly's owner Benjamin Kwok.

Explains Lindsay: "She's by Elusive City. What's the world's most

elusive city to win money in?

Las Vegas."

Okay, that's half the name.

Lamington?

"Well, she's out of Piece Of Cake. Lamington is a New Zealand icon cake."

It's yet another example of how horses don't care what they're named.

They can either gallop fast or they can't.

Lamington Vegas was well ridden by David Walsh to provide Matamata trainer Andrew Scott with four winners on the day, three at Otaki - San Delago and Mrs Gordon were the other pair - and the stylish He's Glovin It at Te Rapa.

He's Glovin It is raced by a fairly big syndicate, including Auckland Racing Club head Chris Weaver and Gerard Peterson's GG Syndicate.

He's had just three starts for two wins and the way he powered up to them at the 300m and maintained a strong gallop to the finish on Saturday suggests real potential.