When some of the best trainers in the game can’t get your horse going, what do you do?
In the case of Mielicki’s connections, you send him to the Conroys.
That proved a successful move for breeder Shannon Nixon and his fellow owners, who finally tasted success with their gifted-yet-wayward squaregaiter at Geelong on Wednesday night.
Named after the sport’s legendary caller Dan Mielicki, the Majestic Son gelding produced a scintillating finishing burst to score his first victory at start 16.
He was originally sent to the late Gavin Lang, but had his first run for champion trainer David Aiken in May of 2020. He then joined Jess Tubbs’ stable at the same time Nixon’s imported star Triple Eight arrived at the Myrniong barn, but didn’t last long there before being sent to widely-respected horseman Andy Gath. That venture lasted just three mistake-riddled runs before the Long Forest trainer gave up and told Nixon to touch base with Daylesford’s Conroy family.
And at start eight under the guidance of trainer Anne-Maree Conroy and driver Glenn, things finally clicked and Mielicki was in the winner’s circle.
“Thanks to trots master Andy Gath (fourth trainer) who said ‘he’s too fast to sack but I can’t fix him. Send him to the Conroys and they’ll sort him out!’,” Nixon tweeted.
Nixon joined Jason Bonnington and Tim O’Connor to chat about Mielicki’s long and winding journey during Thursday’s episode of TrotsLife on SEN Track.
“I actually bought his mum and she had one start with Emma and Clayton for a second… so this is really the first trotter I’ve bred and obviously those who are seasoned to the squaregaiter understand that it’s a little bit more of a waiting game and it’s not just about whether you’ve ability, but there’s a whole gamut of things that you have to put together,” Nixon said.
“It’s taken a while and we are very, very grateful to Anne-Maree and particularly Glenn Conroy for stepping up and basically getting this horse switched on and getting his head right.”
LISTEN TO THE FULL CHAT WITH NIXON ON TROTSLIFE BELOW: