I found instant down was easier for Lurcherboy to learn as a youngster than a reliable recall - which is odd, as he's generally a complete dingbat and not at all easy to train, because he's so slow on the uptake. 8 years later I can still get him to drop into a 'flat' in an instant and wait for me to get to him before he moves, but as I mentioned upthread, recall has been a touch wonky since we lost Oldgirl - I assume because, for a lonely dog, the motivation to greet other dogs is been far more rewarding than anything I have to offer.
I'm pretty sure the instant down won't be anywhere near as easy with Pip. He's a lot more highly strung and flighty and if he panics and bolts his running is fear driven, so he'll need a lot more reinforcement to ensure it becomes a conditioned response if I'm going to stand a chance of stopping him bolting. He's doing really well with his stay though, which is something else I thought he'd struggle with, so he may surprise me yet. I'm annoyed at myself for not starting to teach it sooner, because I think it's best to get the groundwork in young, even if they're not solid on it until they're a lot more mature.
I'm not talking cueing a down at a distance, by the way, but dropping into a down mid-flight, rather than recalling, so you can stop them hurtling towards something dangerous and retrieve them, rather than them having to return to you. Eg if they'd made it across a road in one direction and you need them to stay there rather than attempt it again to get back to you.
One of the pups in our class was chased by another dog when out walking last week and bolted through a field and across two main roads to get away. It was a miracle he wasn't hit. Fortunately the clever little lad ran all the way home and was waiting on the doorstep when they got back. It's the possibility of Pip doing something like that that terrifies me.