Champion harness racing driver Chris Alford today became the youngest Australasian to pilot 3000 career winners.
The six time national champion brought up the historic milestone with his victory on Broadway Dream in the final event at Moonee Valley.
At the age of 37 years and four months, Alford is the youngest member to join the exclusive 3000 club which boasts Ted Demmler, Gavin Lang, Tony Turnbull and Chris Lewis amongst its members.
The Bolinda-based horseman’s surge towards 3000 wins gathered significant momentum over the past six days where he’s piloted 10 winners, including a treble at Moonee Valley on Friday night.
In a career littered with an abundance of highlights, Alford’s defining moment in the sulky came with victory in the 1995 Inter Dominion Grand Final on Golden Reign.
He then went on to drive his 1000th career winner behind Great Hope on January 12, 1996 at Stawell, before representing Australia in the 1997 World Drivers Championship in Germany.
He captured the first of two Hunter Cups with Paris Affair in 1999, before steering Mont Denver Gold to an emotional victory for his father Barry in 2003.
In between his prized Cup double, Alford became the youngest person in Australasia to drive 2000 career winners when he saluted on Mal Flanders at Terang on March 14, 2000, at the age of 31 years and 10 months.
It was a title he held until May this year when record-breaking reinswoman Kerryn Gath reached the milestone at the age of 28 years and 10 months.
A winner of more Breeders Crown titles than any other Australasian (five), the Alford honour roll features six Australian drivers’ premierships (1994, 1996-2000), seven Victorian premierships (1994-2000) and six Moonee Valley premierships (1994-1999).
In recent years, he has added the preparation of a small boutique stable to his freelance driving duties and was seen in the winners circle only last Friday at Moonee Valley as the trainer-driver of The Graduate winner Mister Tuberts.
