Driving history to be made in 2017 Perth Inter Dominion Final

04 December 2017 | Alan Parker
Chris Lewis will break the record for most drives in a Perth Inter Dominion Final on Friday night

Chris Lewis will break the record for most drives in a Perth Inter Dominion Final on Friday night

Since the first Perth Inter Dominion in 1936 there have been 124 individuals drive in a Perth Inter Dominion final.

Of the 124 individuals there has only previously been one woman driver in a Perth Inter Dominion final – Kellie Kersley who drove Norms Daughter into fifth place in 1996 for trainer Neil Lloyd.

Diminutive Victorian reinswoman Rebecca Bartley will enter the record books on Friday as just the second woman to drive in a Perth Inter Dominion when she takes the reins behind San Carlo.

The record for most drives in a Perth Inter Dominion final is currently shared by Chris Lewis and Fred R Kersley (father of Kellie) who have each had six drives in a Perth Inter Dominion final.

Chris Lewis’s six previous drives have been Village Kid (4th in 1989), Ginger Man (10th in 1996), All Hart (8th in 2004), Crombie (6th in 2012), Lovers Delight (2nd in 2015) and John Of Arc (9th in 2016).

Chris Lewis will take the record for most drives in a Perth Inter Dominion final outright on Friday night when he drives the Mark Purdon trained Have Faith In Me.

For the record Fred R Kersley’s six Perth Inter Dominion final drives were Coneeda (2nd in 1967), Local Product (retired from race in 1974), Indian Chant (9th in 1982), Paavo (9th in 1989), Tabaret (9th in 1996) and Faking It (12th in 2004).

Gary Hall Jnr will be having his fifth drive in a Perth Inter Dominion Final when he pilots Chicago Bull from the inside of the second row on Friday night.

His four previous drives in a Perth Inter Dominion were in 2004 (The Falcon Strike – 2nd), 2012 (Im Themightyquinn – 1st), 2015 (Waylade – 7th) and 2016 (Beaudiene Boaz – 3rd)

A total of five drivers have had three Perth Inter Dominion Grand Final drives – Freeman Holmes (1936, 1953, 1957), Frank Kersley (1936, 1953, 1957), Fred Kersley Snr (1953, 1957, 1962), Jack Watts (1936, 1940, 1947) and Leo Keys (1936, 1947, 1962).

 

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