Horses

1. Kola Girl (1920s)

Kola Girl won 19 races in Perth and following her 1918 WA Pacing Cup win she was regarded as WA’s best horse. At the 1923 Royal Show she set a State Pacers Record with a mile in 2:07.8. It stood as the Australian Mile Record until 1941. Kola Girl is the only female to have held this record in the last 100 years. In 1925 she held the WA records over one mile, 10 furlongs, 11 furlongs and two miles.

2. Frosty Nelson (1950s)

Frosty Nelson won 50 of his 104 career starts including the 1955 WA Pacing Cup. Frosty Nelson travelled by ship to Sydney for the 1956 Inter Dominions and was placed in two heats and the 5000 pound Harold Park Cup behind Caduceus. Frosty Nelson won two heats of the 1957 Inter Dominions but fell in the final. He won the inaugural State Sprint Championship in 1957 defeating Village Chief and Beau Don in a near national record of 2:04.25.

3. Binshaw (1960s/1970s)

Foaled in 1961, Binshaw earned a special place in harness racing as the first WA bred winner of the Inter Dominion when he won in 1967. He also won the 1970 WA Easter Cup. Despite an injury interrupted career Binshaw won 29 races and was retired as a 14yo in 1976 winning the FHRC Members Sprint at his last start. Binshaw died in 1996 at the age of 35 and his remains were placed at the Gloucester Park winning post.

4. Daintys Daughter (1960/1970s)

Daintys Daughter won 33 races in Perth (11 more than any other mare) and she endeared herself to her legion of fans with her habit of bowing to the crowd on returning to scale after winning. She won the 1969 Meteor Mile in World Record time of 1:58.8 for a mare on a half-mile track. Daintys Daughter set a second World Record when winning the 1970 WA Pacing Cup rating 2:03.5 from a standing start over two miles.

5. Pure Steel (1970s/1980s)

Pure Steel won 68 races and retired with a well-deserved reputation as the Australian harness racing’s greatest ever stayer. His nine Grand Circuit wins included four successive WA Pacing Cups, three A G Hunter Cups, and a NSW Miracle Mile. His 1978 Hunter Cup win in World Record time, after racing outside Rip Van Winkle, is still regarded by many as the greatest performance seen at Moonee Valley. Pure Steel was voted Australian Harness Horse of the Year in 1980.

6. Preux Chevalier (1980s)

Preux Chevalier first came to public notice when he was placed in the 1983 Golden Nugget. Preux Chevalier scored a stunning win in the 1984 WA Pacing Cup and also won the 1985 Inter Dominion and NSW Miracle Mile on his way to 1985 Australian Harness Horse of the Year honours. Preux Chevalier was the first of only two WA trained horses to win at Group One level in New Zealand when he won the 1985 New Zealand FFA.

7. Village Kid (1980s/1990s)

Village Kid owns the greatest winning sequence in Australian harness history when he won 19 successive fast-class races between February 1987 and February 1988 including four Group One races. His career total of 13 Group One wins included four WA Pacing Cups and Inter Dominion final and he remains the only horse to win all three heats of an Inter Dominion twice. Between his 4yo and 8yo seasons Village Kid had 100 starts for 70 wins and 22 places.

Trainers / Drivers

1. Cliff Clarke (1920s/1950s)

Born in Devonshire, England in 1894 Cliff Clarke became involved in harness racing in 1923 having an immediate impact topping both the Perth Reinsman’s and Trainer’s Premierships in his first full season as a trainer/driver. Clarke topped the Perth Drivers List three times and the Trainers List six times. He drove 341 winners in Perth and trained 435 winners including two WA Pacing Cups and a record four Fremantle Cups.

2. Bill Johnson (1930s/1960s)

W F "Bill" Johnson began training and driving horses in the early 1930s and headed the Perth Trainers Premiership five times in addition to being runner-up six times. He trained two WA Pacing Cup and three Fremantle Cup winners. He started horses at seven consecutive Inter Dominions with Kiwi Dillon qualifying for four finals. He was awarded the "Brian Hancock" Distinguished Service Award in 2010 for his outstanding contribution to the Inter Dominion in its formative years.

3. Fred Kersley Snr (1930s/1970s)

Fred Kersley Snr came to WA in 1929 from South Australia with his parents and siblings. He quickly established himself as an outstanding horseman winning the Perth Drivers Premiership four times. He retired in 1972, immediately after winning the WA Pacing Cup, with 532 Perth winners. He was also leading trainer in Perth four times and drove six winners of the WA Derby. His brother Frank and son Fred were among the inaugural Hall Of Fame inductees in 2007.

4. Alan Woodworth (1940s/1980s)

Alan Woodworth held the record as the youngest driver to win the WA Pacing Cup for more than 50 years after driving Bintravis to victory in the 1949 WA Trotting Cup at the age of 20 years 296 days. Renowned as a freelance driver with great hands he drove 561 Perth winners with just 148 of those winners coming with horses he trained. He headed the Perth Drivers List three times and drove three Fremantle Cup winners.

5. Lyle Lindau (1950s/1980s)

Lyle Lindau won the Perth Drivers Premiership once and was runner-up on eight occasions behind Hall Of Famers Fred R Kersley, Jim Schrader and Phil Coulson. Renowned as an outstanding trainer of young horses, Lindau won the Perth Trainer’s title three times. He drove Radiant Fortune to victory in a WA Pacing Cup and trained and drove three successive Fremantle Cup winners. He also won Inter Dominion heats in New Zealand with Blue Pennant and in Adelaide with Typhson.

6. Trevor Warwick (1960s/Present)

One of only four Western Australian drivers to pass the 2000 wins mark, Trevor Warwick has won races in all Australian mainland states as well as the USA. He has topped the Perth Drivers Premiership three times and headed the Perth Trainers Premiership four times and been runner-up eight times. In 1986 he headed the Australian Trainers Premiership with 138 winners. Warwick has trained and driven Group One winners in WA, Victoria and South Australia.

7. Chris Lewis (1970s/present)

Chris Lewis is the only Western Australian to drive two Inter Dominion winners with the second coming courtesy of Village Kid. He is the only Western Australian to have driven 4000 career winners and 2000 Perth winners and one of only three Australians to pass the 4000 mark. He has won eight Perth Driver’s Premierships and was Australia’s Leading Driver in 1995 with an Australian Record of 211 winners. Lewis has driven a total of 40 Group One winners.

Associates

1. J P Stratton (Born 1886)

JP Stratton’s involvement with harness racing began in 1929 when he was co-opted onto the WATA Committee to enable completion of Gloucester Park. He was elected President of the WATA in 1930 – a position he held until his death in 1966. He also served as President of the Inter Dominion Trotting Council from 1936 to 1966. Stratton was a founding member of the WA TAB in 1960 which resulted in the distribution of off-course wagering profits to the racing codes.

2. Roy Holloway (Born 1926)

Born in Victoria, Ray Holloway began work with the SA Trotting League in 1947 and he retired from the WATA Committee in 2003 after 56 years continuous service to harness racing. His promotional skills saw him heavily involved in the organisation and control of eight Inter Dominions, overseeing the introduction of the re-vamped WA Summer Carnival and the first $100,000 WA Pacing Cup. He was a prime mover in the introduction of a National Young Drivers Championship in 1976.

3. Dr Ern Manea AM AO (Born 1926)

Ern Manea has been involved in harness racing for more than 60 years as a owner, breeder and administrator. He has served at various times as President of the World Trotting Conference, Harness Racing Australia, WA Trotting Association and his local Bunbury Trotting Club. He was awarded Life Membership of the World body in 1997, an Inter Dominion Gold Medal (later renamed the Ern Manea Inter Dominion Gold Medal) and Life Membership of the WATA and Bunbury clubs.