Stephen Conroy has never forgotten the moment he realised just how much harness racing meant to him. It was a regular Friday night meeting at Harold Park in the mid 1980’s and he’d just won a trophy race with his consistent gelding Saint Albans. Stephen was ushered to the presentation area right in front of the winning post at the iconic Glebe venue. “It was always a special feeling to stand there looking up at the crowd in a grandstand that seemed to tower right over the track,” he said. “Club President the late Bill Truer handed me the trophy and called me to the microphone. I began the response by telling the crowd how much I loved the game and suddenly felt very emotional. I struggled through the last part of my speech and was happy to get it over with. Despite being a little embarrassed I knew it was a special moment in my life.”
Almost forty years on and Steve’s passion for the sport hasn’t diminished. He’s never had more than seven horses in work at any one time, and currently has only two at the races. Recent Menangle and Penrith wins by Oursouthernstar are a clear indicator that the trainer is right on his game. Stablemate Bandsix is a rising seven year old gelding who resumed at Penrith last week after a twelve months layoff. “He’s won five races but has been plagued with recurring laminitis,” said Steve. “I decided to put him away for a full year. He’s been sound right through this preparation and I was pretty happy with his first up fifth at Penrith. He’ll need a bit of racing.”
The Conroy trained Oursouthernstar (Seaton Grima) was too good for One Big Shew at Menangle 10/05/2022 - courtesy Club Menangle.
Steve Conroy has never strayed far from his birthplace of Leura 100km from the Sydney CBD in the famous Blue Mountains. Elizabeth, his wife of fifty years is a Blackheath girl and that’s where the couple lived for the first six years of their married life. They spent a short time on a one acre holding at Medlow Bath before acquiring a nine acre property at Hartley where they’ve lived for more than forty years. “We’re situated right at the top of the famous River Lett Hill on the eastern side of Lithgow,” said Steve. “We do most of our work with the horses on our 600m track, and take them to the Lithgow Showground if and when they need a good hit out. Luckily the Lithgow City Council keeps the track open for different civic events. Geoff Simpson and I are the only two trainers who use it nowadays, a far cry from the days when up to seventy horses were trained there.”
Stephen’s fascination with harness horses began when he got to know the renowned horseman Keith Chick whose stables were situated nearby. “Keith first moved to Leura on the advice of his Doctor who was of the opinion his respiratory condition would benefit from the mountain air,” said Steve. “For a bloke who started off training greyhounds, his success rate with harness horses was amazing. His list of good horses included top class performers like Kerryfield, Set Point, Match Point and Yonkers. Goodness knows how many races they won between them at Harold Park. I spent many hours at his stables and learned a heck of a lot from a great horseman.”
Stephen paid five hundred dollars for his first horse - a Student Prince filly purchased from fellow trainer Ross Chisholm. “Ross had actually bought her at the yearling sale for a group of owners who suddenly changed their minds,” said Steve. “He offered her to me and I couldn’t help myself. Five hundred dollars doesn’t sound much, but I was an apprentice electrician at the time getting very little money. I got my brother Jim and good friends Mick Stockley and John White on board. We named her Burgundy Belle and what a journey we had. She won many races including six at Harold Park before going on to produce several smart horses including Saint Albans who won18 races.
Steve Conroy puts the bridle on Bandsix at Penrith recently - courtesy Lett Photography.
“Another of her sons Port Alban won twelve races, while her daughter Alban Adios won five and ran many placings. Her daughters and granddaughters have continued to produce winners, and I’m still getting results from the family. Burgundy Belle left a great legacy. She’s the best five hundred I ever spent.”
Stephen didn’t waste the years he spent as an electrician’s apprentice. He used his qualifications to gain a long term job with State Rail’s locomotive workshop at Lithgow. In 1999 at age 50 he became one of many electricians and apprentices to be offered a redundancy package when State Rail restructured its entire operation. His first thought was to ply his trade in another location. His second was to seek a livelihood by owning and training a small team of harness horses. After many years of hobby training he felt confident he could make a go of it. Twenty three years on, and harness racing remains his full time career.
Steve has always had the uncanny ability to keep horses racing and winning for long periods. Fedora was a great stable money spinner with eighteen wins while Gems And Roses seemed to go on forever. The daughter of Souflee raced 111 times for 15 wins and 36 placings. Her finest moment came in 2002 when she beat all but Pete’s Dream in the Gr 1 Ladyship Mile. Blue Gum Forest, a $2500 purchase at the Bathurst Sale raced 134 times for an astonishing 30 wins and 32 placings. His consistency made him a great favourite with the Harold Park crowds.
Blue Gum Forest was another to race on to the veteran stage under Steve's tutelage - 30 wins and 32 placings - courtesy Club Menangle.
Another of Steve’s “iron” horses was Go Go Bop who raced 104 times for 30 wins and a whopping 32 placings. He simply kept his horses away from fast work on hard tracks. He preferred to canter and gallop them between races on a forgiving surface at Hartley. Go Go Bop was yet another product of the Burgundy Belle dynasty. The tough as teak gelding was by John Street North out of Souwester, a granddaughter of his foundation mare. Baaners Lane was another family favourite - a $1000 purchase at the Bathurst Sale who won 18 races and well over $90,000 in prize money.
The fastest horse he’s trained was Twelve Paces - a slow learning son of Live Or Die who raced 68 times for 27 wins and 20 placings. The colt almost certainly threw away the 2006 Australia Gold Final at Albion Park when his erratic behaviour saw him go under by half a head to the all conquering juvenile Lombo Pocket Watch. Twelve Paces earned $60,000 in finishing second, but only needed to go straight to collect the first prize of $150,000. In an obscure way he got his revenge on the brilliant grey colt a year later by winning a heat of the Victoria Derby. Triple Vance was second with Lombo Pocket Watch third. Three months later Twelve Paces overcame a tough run to beat all but Gotta Go Cullen in the NSW Pacers Derby at Harold Park. There was only a head between them on the line.
The brilliant Twelve Paces was airborne in this APG Heat win at Moonee Valley - one of 27 wins - courtesy Club Menangle.
Steve weaved his magic again in more recent times with De Santa Anna who posted 102 starts for 13 wins and 20 minor placings. You’d be hard pressed to find a trainer anywhere in Australia more adept in prolonging the racing life of a standardbred horse. When he left the electrical trade almost a quarter of a century ago, he knew his best chance of survival was to keep his horses racing longer than usual. He has perfected the art. One wit was credited with the quote that “Steve Conroy’s horses stay up longer than the Sydney Harbour Bridge.”
The Conroy stable colours of green and yellow quarters with red sleeves have become well known with trots punters on and off course. He took the combination of green, yellow and red from the colours of his old school St Bernard’s College at Katoomba. There’s little doubt Emma Turnbull has worn those silks more than any other driver since the commencement of Steve’s training career. Take Twelve Paces for example. Emma drove the brilliant horse in 67 of his 68 starts and was in the sulky for all of his 27 wins. “Emma suits my horses perfectly,” said Steve. “I like them to find their feet and that’s the way she likes to drive them. I wouldn’t even think of looking for the lead unless I was certain my horse could get there cheaply. Emma’s patience has been a contributing factor in many of our wins.”
Emma Turnbull spent a lot of time in the Conroy colours. Here she is with Twelve Paces after a Harold Park win - courtesy Club Menangle.
Other drivers to don the Conroy colours over the years include Robert Nugent, Stan Bond, Dennis Wilson, Wayne McClelland, Gary Tracey and in more recent years David Morris. Steve has never harboured a desire to drive his horses in races. “When you only train two or three horses you’re never going to get enough match practice,” he said. “The best drivers are the ones who are competing regularly. I could never see the sense in spending weeks or months getting a horse ready, to go out there and get completely lost.”
Over the years many trots trainers based in remote localities have become self taught farriers. Some have been surprised to discover some latent talent, and Steve Conroy is one of them. “Because I’ve never had large numbers of horses, I’ve been able to take my time and learn as I went along,” he said. “I also picked up many pointers from old time farriers like Lionel Stonestreet and Tom McLachlan who lived on the mountains. Back in those days I never stopped asking questions.”
The trainer gives his wife Liz much of the credit for the great success they’ve had in the trotting sport. “For many years she drove horses in their work at Hartley but now confines herself to ground duties,” he said. “She’s a terrific hand with a horse and is always across the smallest detail. Her input is greatly valued.”
Liz was no stranger to Harold Park presentations. Steve is in the background with Twelve Paces - courtesy Club Menangle.
Steve and Liz are the proud parents of three girls Janie, Kirsty and Gemma. Janie inherited the standardbred bug from her parents and is the only one to actually try her hand on the racetrack. “She won a good number of races in the 90’s under her married name of Janie O’Toole and drove very capably,” said Steve. “Fedora was her favourite horse. She drove that horse in nine of his 18 wins. From memory she won 4 races on Baaners Lane. She’s often at our place and still enjoys jumping in the gig.”
The Conroy girls have collectively provided their parents with seven grandchildren. Steve has their names down pat. Janie is the mother of Oliver and Lily, Kirsty has three sons Sam, Luca and Thomas while Gemma is the proud mother of Lara and Belle. Grandfather has probably never admitted it, but he’ll be secretly hoping one of those grandchildren has inherited his passion for the standardbred horse.
If genetics count for anything those yellow, green and red silks might sparkle under the lights on NSW tracks for a few more years yet.
Steve checks Bandsix's near hind shoe at Penrith. The trainer shoes all of his own horses - courtesy Lett Photography.
(Banner image - Steve's consistent pacer De Santa Anna (Robert Nugent) in a Bathurst win - courtesy Bathurst Harness Racing Club.)