Downes barn on the up

By Jordan Gerrans

Jimmy Downes regularly houses star gallopers from other Queensland trainers on his property and this season he is now starting to build up an impressive barn of his own.

Downes runs a spelling and pre-training facility at Christmas Creek in the Scenic Rim region that boasts Barry Lockwood, David Vandyke, Stuart Kendrick and Robert Heathcote as regular clients.

The property has space for 100 horses and regularly has around 70 gallopers at one time.

After cutting his teeth working at Heathcote’s barn at Eagle Farm, Downes took out his own licence in the 2021-22 campaign and is putting together his best season yet in 2024-25.

He has a career-best eight winners so far this term, going at a touch under a 20 per cent strike-rate.

The Beaudesert-based horseman has been in particularly strong form in recent weeks.

He prepared a winner at Warwick on Tuesday, which was his third in the last month.

All of Downes’ victories in his short training career have come on the country and provincial circuit and he is eager to add a city triumph to his resume when Influential heads to Doomben this Saturday.

“This season, it has taken off,” Downes said of his own training.

“We started with one or two that we bred ourselves and now the last couple of years I have started training for other people and getting better horses coming through the gate.

“I am still only working six at the moment – with four in the paddock - but it helps when they are going all right. You just need to try and get better quality as long as you keep going, that is the aim anyway.

“It is always easy to get up in the morning when they are running well. I have just been aiming to place them in the right races and have them right up to the mark.”

State In Texas was Downes’ most recent winner, claiming a Benchmark 62 Handicap over the short and sharp 800 metres at Warwick’s Allman Park on Tuesday afternoon.

The three-year-old gelding has been a nice pick up for the up-and-coming Downes operation as he has quickly recorded three victories from five efforts.

The son of Star Turn began his career with Downes’ old boss Heathcote in town before heading out to Christmas Creek.

Downes spent time around Heathcote’s stable in his teenage years before completing a carpentry apprenticeship.

He was back at Heathcote’s after that for six more years under the multiple Group 1-winner.

“It was a big help at Rob’s and I still talk to him now,” he said.

“He gives advice. I actually got State In Texas from him as his owner was moving on a few and he mentioned that the horse would be a good one to suit me and the small environment. It worked like that and he has been good to me still.

“The whole stable has been good to me and I still talk to them all now.”

As leading mentors such as Heathcote, Lockwood, Kendrick and Vandyke regularly use his spelling facility, Downes can easily bounce ideas off the top trainers.

It is a rare opportunity that most young conditioners would not have access to.

“I think having the farm and spelling horses for these people, it has helped me because I can talk to anyone about advice or if I need him,” he said.

“Barry specifically has been very good to me; he is great when I ask for advice and help.

“They are always pretty good when you reach out to them. It has been good so far.

“The farm is the main thing we do out here and then the training is the side thing, but the training is starting to progress now.”

The in-form Downes barn have arguably their best chance to nab their maiden city win on Saturday.

He has started horses on a Wednesday in town but Influential will be the team’s first Saturday metropolitan runner.

Influential – previously with the Chris Waller yard – ran well for his new trainer in Brisbane last month and will tackle the No Metro Wins Handicap over 1350 metres on Saturday.

Andrew Mallyon takes the ride on the four-year-old gelding.

“He was good first-up on the Wednesday a fortnight ago behind one of Chris Munce’s horses, who looks to be pretty handy,” Downes said.

“He has come on from the run and he should go good on Saturday. These No Metro Wins races, you never know what they are going to throw up and this horse had good form down south.

“He is a horse that we have had to manage and he has really benefited from being in the small environment at our place. He is a happy horse and in a good place at the moment.”

Before they get to town on Saturday, the Downes team have two more chances to add to their strike-rate.

Bugalugs starts in the Benchmark 70 Handicap over 1100 metres at Ipswich Turf Club on Wednesday while Fiona Sandkuhl takes the booking of Bean Ball at Beaudesert on Thursday.