The bright lights of the big Victorian race meetings have been too much to resist for talented young trainer-driver Conor Crook.
Crook has decided to pack up his operation in Tasmania and set up camp at the expanded Shepparton Harness Racing Club training centre, with the move to take place before the end of the month.
The 26-year-old will be joined by partner Jordan Chibnall, who returns to her home state of Victoria.
Picture: Stacey Lear
Crook has trained 72 winners and driven 255, with Miss Papenhuyzen’s victory in the Group 2 Evicus Final in October last year his biggest success in the sulky so far.
The 19-year-old Chibnall has also driven 56 winners since her career began in season 2019-20.
“Every year I come over for the Hunter Cup and you get butterflies on the big nights,” Crook told Trots Talk.
“It’s obviously aiming pretty high, but Tassie sort of struggles to have the bright lights and that sort of stuff on the Saturday night, which really attracts me to Melbourne.”
>> READ MORE: Interest sought for first-class Shepparton Training Centre
Crook said he planned to bring a small team of horses to the mainland, including experienced pair Joe Nien and Bao Nien and handy three-year-old Sinister.
“The team I have at the moment (will) probably (be) somewhat competitive over there (in Victoria), so we will bring a team of eight or 10 and just see how we go over the winter months,” said Crook, who has experience working for Tasmanian trainers Ben Yole and Rohan Hillier.
“Hopefully we can stay if we get enough winners and make enough coin.”
The redeveloped Shepparton training centre will have capacity to accommodate more than 130 horses, with three new individual enclosed barns, 38 walk-in-walk-out boxes and two eight-horse walkers part of the facilities.
LISTEN TO CONOR CROOK’S FULL INTERVIEW ON THIS WEEK’S EPISODE OF TROTS TALK BELOW:
