Flat jockey Robyn Rhys Brisland was born on February 29, 1976 and served his apprenticeship at the Woodingdean, Brighton stables of trainer Gary Moore.
Robyn rode his first winner on Whatever's Right in a seven-furlong apprentices’ handicap at Warwick on 20 July, 1996. That was his sole success of the season. He rode three winners from 103 mounts in 1997 and seven from 113 in 1998.
He enjoyed his most successful season in 1999 with 14 winners from 274 mounts, but thereafter his tallies were in single figures. He rode his last three winners in 2006 from just 48 mounts. Robyn had his final ride on March 3, 2008, when finishing last of 11 on Ubiquitous Bounty at Lingfield. He rode 46 winners from just over 900 rides during his 12-year career in the saddle.
Robyn became assistant trainer to Nick Littmoden in February 2015 and subsequently took out his own trainer’s licence in December of that year, following Littmoden’s retirement, based at Cadland Cottage stables in Newmarket, as a salaried trainer to Dave and Debbie Curran.
He saddled his first runner, Magus Maximus, at Chelmsford on January 2, 2016, finishing fourth, but then the stable was laid low by an early case of ‘the virus’. However, the horses soon recovered and Robyn enjoyed a weekend to remember when bagging two £25,000 handicaps at Chelmsford on August 20 and 21, 2016. Firstly, Queensbridge won a seven-furlong contest in the hands of Luke Morris, then Magnus Maximus delivered under Martin Harley the following day. Magnus Maximus then went on to land a good Class 2 handicap at Ascot next time out.
Sadly, after a reasonably successful two years during which he sent out more than 20 winners Robyn’s budding career suffered a setback in December 2017 following a split with his backer Dave Curran. It came at a bad time as Robin was recuperating from a broken kneecap after a recent fall on the gallops.
He then signed an agreement to rent 18 boxes at Barney Curley’s Cleveland House yard across town at Newmarket on the Hamilton Road, where he continued to train until November 2018. He now trains at Mill Top Equestrian Centre at Danesthorpe, near Newark in Nottinghamshire. Robyn has expanded his operation and has a string of 50 horses under his care.
