Ross and Cornelia register long-awaited wins

The last time Ross Conway made his way to the harness racing winner’s circle Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce were unknown to each other and Malcolm Turnbull was the Prime Minister of Australia.

That was until last Wednesday night when the 70-year-old trainer broke a drought spanning back to January 29, 2017 thanks to Cornelia’s (Julius Caesar) first-up victory in the Battlers In The Bush Maiden Pace at Swan Hill.

Making the result even more special was the fact it was Cornelia’s first start at the races since January 30, 2020 and Conway’s first runner since the same date.

“I was pleased when I put James Herbertson on and she led and won,” Conway told Toby McKinnon on SEN TrotsLife.

The eight-year-old mare had a long and treacherous journey to finally break through for her maiden win after debuting in 2018.

“We raced Cornelia because I thought she would be a good filly,” Conway said. “So I put Anthony Butt on her at Bendigo and she went third in her first start. She didn’t perform as well as I first thought.

“She had two more starts and didn’t perform as perhaps I first thought. So, I put her out and brought her back two years later.

“She had one start at Ballarat and didn’t do any good, but she got injured coming out of the float.

“So, I put her in the paddock and let her get fat. Plenty said she wouldn’t come back, but she came back really good, so I am happy. Really happy.”

LISTEN TO MCKINNON’S CHAT WITH CONWAY BELOW:

For complete race results, click here.

by Lachlan Mitchell, for Harness Racing Victoria