Roysyn


Roysyn is a Thoroughbred racehorse who won the New Zealand Derby in 1995, giving trainer Roger James his first of three Derby wins and rider Vinny Colgan the first of his four.
After failing in his only start at two, Roysyn started off his three-year-old season with a win in a maiden at Avondale. He followed that up with a placing and another win in low-quality races before finishing only sixth in the Avondale Guineas, his last race before the Derby.
But he was a changed horse when the Derby came around, beating Clear Rose and favourite Interval to record a slight upset victory in the Derby of 1995. But he proved it was no fluke result later in the season, winning the Wellington Stakes and then his second Group 1 race in the Trackside Sales Stakes against older horses.
His four-year-old season saw him win the Group 2 Queen Elizabeth Handicap and finish second in the Group 1 Avondale Cup and Group 2 Counties Cup.
After finishing a disappointing tenth when one of the favourites in the Auckland Cup of that season he was unable to rediscover his best form when lightly raced in the last two years of his career.