Sinnamon, a stalwart of the Central Otago Trotting Club, died yesterday at the age of 88 in Omakau.
He was a tireless worker at Omakau Racecourse, along with his old friend Ginger Woodhouse, where the club held its annual meeting there every January. It’s always a big event and a highlight of the Central Otago summer circuit.
Their fame was so great that they even appeared on TV One’s Seven Sharp program in 2019.
Sinnamon has owned horses since he was 17 and started training almost 70 years ago, with the first winner being Lyric Lady in 1959. He had to wait 17 years before getting his second.
In total he has 31 wins as a trainer, with his best year being the five winners he achieved in 2020 (three with Allandale and two with Gabby’s Star).
Among Allandale’s six wins, Sinnamon’s first was at Addington in 2020. He was 82 at the time. It was only the second time he fielded a runner at Addington in the late 1970s, after Idaten.
Allandale was bred by Lionel’s son Graham, current president of the Central Otago Trotting Club, and his wife Dianne.
The family also shared ownership of Gabby’s Star and had the thrill of seeing Graham Sinnamon steer the horse to a very popular hometown win at Omakau in 2019.
Lionel Sinnamon’s latest victory was another father-son success story as Forty Wives, piloted by Graham, won an amateur driver race at Oamaru in 2023.
“He was a humble and special father,” says Graham.
“He proved that you don’t have to be captain of the All Blacks to be a champion. He did what he did because he loved it.”
There have also been many online tributes.
Among them he has been called ‘one of the great characters of Otago Trotting’ and a ‘man with a big heart and a great sense of humour.’
Friday Girl’s Night Out, which is partly owned by Lionel Sinnamon and races in its green and white colours, will feature in Race 5 at Rangiora.
HRNZ would like to extend its condolences to the entire Sinnamon family and recognize Lionel’s enormous contribution to the sport, both on and off the track.
His funeral will take place next Monday.
Through Dave Di Sommafor Harness News Desk
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