Roy winds down, but a few winners still to come

These days Roy Chillemi only has a handful of horses in work but the
old master might still have a few winter carnival tricks up his sleeve.
The 15 time winner of the Townsville trainers’ title, has a great chance to
claim a carnival feature with big finisher Colours Of Autumn in the JBD
Ladies Bracelet (1300m) at Cluden Park on Tuesday.
Once the principal trainer for his great mate and prolific owner Tom
Hedley, Chillemi has wound back operations at his Tolga stables to just
five horses.
At 77, he’s happy to leave the training of bulk of Hedley-owned horses to
fellow trainers Stephen Massingham, Fred Wieland and Steven Royes.
And he’s keen to cut back even further after almost 40 years of travel
from the Atherton Tablelands to Townsville to race.
“I’ve got five in work but it will be less by the end of the year though,”
Chillemi said.
“It’s just the travel down there and back is a big thing as you get older.
I’m 77 now mate and it gets harder driving back at night especially when
there’s rain and fog,” Chillemi said.
“I still love the horses and I might still have one of my own. I want to do a
bit more travel and see more of the world while I can.
“I’m absolutely happy with what I’ve achieved in racing. You can’t be
greedy and you can’t begrudge someone a winner.
“I think the first thing you’ve got to get in your head is how to be a good
loser before you can be a good winner.”
The Chillemi-Hedley team has been one of the most enduring and
successful partnerships in northern racing.
Horses racing in the ubiquitous Hedley orange, have produced a
majority of Chillemi’s 1447 winners and almost every major race in the
north along the way. His winning strike rate sits at an astonishing 20%.
High quality horses to flourish under his care have included Cleveland
Bay Hcp winners Kanetoshi King and Grey Missile, and in more recent
years Tyzone before he went on to win the Stradbroke.

A successful baker in his early years, Chillemi thinks there’s still a few
wins to come and he’s keen on the chances of Colours Of Autumn on
Tuesday.
The consistent mare drops in grade for the Class 5 event against fillies
and mares and comes off a fast finishing fourth over 1200m at her most
recent run at Cluden over 1200m.
“She had a bit of bad luck. She’s not a world beater and gets a long way
back but if things go right for her she can win,” Chillemi said.
“You’d be scared to back a horse like her because she needs the
breaks.
“You look at her runs and you’d say she should have won two or three
more races.
“She’ll put in and if everything goes her way I think she’ll be in the finish.”
His other runner on the day is Khals, who will run in the Belle Property
Townsville C1 Plate (1200m), and he’s expecting him to take a few more
runs to come to hand.
And further into the carnival he plans to run his good open performer
Valenki in the Cleveland Bay Hcp (1300m) on August 8.
Meanwhile, in-form trainer Tom Butrton holds a strong hand in the Magic
Millions Townsville Dollars (1400m) for three-year-olds with leading
hopes Bang Stick, Bianca Mia and Faraway Downs.
Tuesday’s card is the last Townsville meeting of the season.
Townsville trainer Georgie Holt has the trainers’ premiership tied up with
30 wins for the season, and Ryan Wiggins is comfortably clear in the
jockeys’ standings with 31 winners, five ahead of Aidan Holt.