That Chris Lewis should be acclaimed as just the third Australian to drive 3500 winners is almost mundane as he seemed destined for a career with horses when he was born on the horse’s birthday of 1st August in 1955.
Only Victorians Chris Alford (3510) and Gavin Lang (4084) have driven more winners in this country. Chris’s achievement is all the more remarkable as there are generally some 225 more meetings held in Victoria each season.
He became the youngest driver of an Inter Dominion winner when he was successful in his then home-town of Adelaide in the 1976 final behind Carclew which was trained by his father Allen. Carclew upset a massive betting plunge on the WA trained Pure Steel, which finished second.
Chris won a second Inter Dominion in 1986 in Brisbane with the legendary Western Australian pacer Village Kid and he is the only Western Australian driver to have won the pinnacle race in Australian harness racing twice.
Chris also finished second with Village Kid in the 1985 Inter Dominion held in Melbourne and won by fellow West Australian pacer Preux Chevalier.
Chris first drove at Gloucester Park on 11th June 1976 when he took part in the inaugural Australian Young Drivers Championship. While he didn’t win the title that year he did win a race that night behind the Ben Geersen trained Burgundy.
One of the two Victorian representatives in that ground-breaking race was Gavin Lang.
That was the first of 1696 Perth winners and his career total includes a win in the USA with former WA mare Flames And Flowers and a double in Moscow when he competed in an international drivers challenge against opposition that included American superstar driver Walter Case jnr.
His 1696 Perth winners have incorporated seven Perth Driver’s Premierships and an unprecedented 24 successive Top Five finishes between the 1983/84 and 2006/07 seasons. Only Fred R Kersley with 1730 Perth winners has driven more winners in this city.
Chris became one of only four West Australians to win the national drivers title when he beat Victorian ace Chris Alford to claim Australia’s Leading Driver Title (wins) in 1995 with an Australian Record tally of 211 winners.
He has driven a total of 35 Group One winners across Australia in races that include the Inter Dominion (SA & QLD), WA Pacing Cup (5 times), Fremantle Cup (4 times), WA Derby (4 times), WA Oaks, WA Golden Slipper Stakes, Australian Pacing Championship, M H Treuer Memorial (NSW), Australian Pacing Gold (Vic), WA Golden Nugget Championship , Bathurst Gold Tiara (NSW), Harold Park Cup (NSW) and NSW Miracle Mile.
Chris is the leading Western Australian driver in Inter Dominion history with 14 wins made up of two finals and 12 heats.
He is also the leading Western Australian driver in Grand Circuit history with 12 wins in Grand Circuit Finals (equal with Vic Frost with only Brian Hancock’s tally of 19 Grand Circuit wins being superior).
In addition, Chris has been 15 times in the Top 10 Australian Drivers (wins),11 times Leading Western Australian Driver (City & Country combined) and has driven 100 Winners in a season on 20 occasions.
Lewis has again sailed past the 100 winners mark this season and is on target to bring up his 12th State title.
Milestone’s are just a part of life to Lewis and in an interview with SKY Channel’s Wes Cameron on May 9th after his 3500th winner a typically laconic Lewis remarked that “it was time to move on and aim at the 4000 winners milestone”
At his current rate of averaging 150 winners a season Lewis should reach the 4000 wins plateau in three seasons.
He is still fit and well and the desire to be the best still burns bright.
Chris Lewis is regarded as the best big race driver in Western Australia due to his apparent coolness under pressure and his overall record is a long way in advance of any current driver.
