September 12th, 2024Bob Conroy inducted into Hall of Fame

The late Bob Conroy has been inducted into the  Victorian Harness Racing Hall of Fame.  

The honour celebrated not only Bob’s on-track deeds but also his much-admired “gentleman” status off the track.  

A video presentation on the awards night said:  “A 16-year-old boy from Korweinguboora named Robert Conroy won all three horse events at the 1947  Daylesford Gymkhana, however the trotting bug didn’t  hit him until 1962 when Bob won a three-year-old race  with Butch at Ballarat.  

“Later, he resurrected Mary Beverley from the  breeding paddock and won his first metro race with her  as a pacer on Anzac Day, 1972.

Then eight months later  remarkably he transformed her into a trotter that won  the Group One V.L. Dullard Cup.

“His training methods utilising Hepburn Regional Park were responsible not only for Bendigo Cup winner  Lincoln Star, but more so for the transformation for the  unraced pacing breed, Amazon.

He became the fastest  trotter ever in Australia.  

“Bob’s name became synonymous with trotters,  winning no less than 15 Victorian trotter training titles.  

“His marriage to Pat and his family of five children  was always paramount and there were no prouder  moments than when Bob, and sons Peter and Glenn,  trifected a race at Moonee Valley and daughter Anne Maree represented Australia overseas.  

“There was no was more determined man on earth when it came to  winning the last ever TAB race at the Showgrounds with Lucy Lastic.  

“Bob was renowned as Mr Integrity.”  

Image: File