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Conquer The Day will be making a return to the Tamworth Paceway this Thursday in the hope of making it déjà vu for her owner Debbie Finlay and her trainer husband Mick.
A welcome addition to the Gunnedah stables, the five-year-old Roll With Joe mare produced a first up win for the couple at last week's Tamworth harness meeting.
"We brought her (Conquer The Day) out of Wagga. It was Deb who picked her as she always wanted a Roll With Joe horse," Mick said.
Conquer The Day also shot him back into the winner's circle with his last win as a trainer listed back in January 2011, with the win of Frostbitten at Muswellbrook.
The couple have enjoyed success in the interim as owners, with other trainers handling their pacers.
Unfortunately with the COVID 19 protocols Debbie was not permitted to be at the meeting to witness her horse taking line honours.
"It was a good win," Mick said after Conquer The Day had won the ANZAC Day Pace.
"The young grandson and Deb had to watch the race at home as they can't be here. [But] She is ecstatic."
"I worked the mare with Tony (Missen) the other day in Tamworth and he said she worked good enough and when you look at Tommy Ison as a reinsman – from when he has come from driving the mini trotters to now, he has just matured that much."
Mick had engaged the inform reinsman to handle Conquer The Day and thought he may have been picking up a place cheque in the last 600 metres of the race, but was full of praise for Ison's drive.
"Over on the corner I thought we might run a hole here. But then "Magical Tommy" (referring to Ison) – he reminds me a bit of another reinsman in Peter Wellington – he can read a race and when to get a horse out," he said.
"We are lucky to have young drivers like Tom, especially me."
It was the first of three winning drives for Ison at the meeting, just short of his own personal record set at the Easter Monday meeting when he drove five winners on the program.
Commencing from the one barrier, Conquer The Day went straight to the lead before Ison elected to hand up and take a run in behind the new race leader in Bailees Girl (Sam Ison)
"We came out of the gate quick early and did a bit of work – the lead time was pretty quick 26.6 (seconds). I thought to hand up was my best chance to stay in the race at the end," Ison said.
Making his race move as the field entered the final turn, he extricated Conquer The Day from the inside running before racing three wide.
"She was three wide at the bottom turn and we went to the line good," he said.
"She just started kicking away down the home straight."
Conquer The Day went on for a 3.7 metre win over Nice One John (Brendan James) with Bailees Girl 3.8 metres away third.
"I am happy to just get one win this week – I do drive a few horses for Mick and he was pretty rapt with that win," Ison added.
For Finlay, who as the trainer has had to overcome restrictions with the COVID 19 pandemic, the win was something to treasure.
"I can't work the horses at Gunnedah – I can only jog the horse at home and then I have to come over here to Tamworth as the showground is locked at home," he said.
"I have been coming over from Gunnedah to work with Tony and Joy Missen and thanks to them otherwise we probably wouldn't have been here."
Conquer The Day has drawn the four barrier in the Multiquip Hatchery Pace on Thursday, while Ison is listed for seven drives on an eight-race card.
by Julie Maughan
