It was a long time between drinks for Stawell-based horse trainers John and Karina Rowe, but they finally have something to celebrate, winning just their second ever race.
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The boutique training husband and wife combo have a small stable of just four racehorses, with four-year-old mare Melbourne Hero the one to bring the pair their first win since 2007.
Melbourne Hero won a $10,000 maiden plate in Naracoorte on September 9 to break the 11-year drought.
“We have been in and out of training for a bit. It is a real family affair with our daughter riding track work for us too,” John Rowe said.
“It has been a very long time since our last win so it was pretty special.”
Vain Chic was the last horse to win a race for the Rowe’s, winning at Echuca in December, 2007.
Karina Rowe said having a small stable makes winning races difficult, particularly when competing against country racing juggernauts such as Darren Weir.
“We head over to South Australia a bit to try and give ourselves better chances of winning,” she said.
“Because Melbourne has become so competitive trainers have started to send some really high quality horses to the country which makes it hard for us as a small stable to compete against.”
The Rowe’s have nominated three horses to race this weekend.