Alford salutes in 8,000th career win

Champion harness racing reinsman Chris Alford chalked up the 8000th win of his career when he partnered Im Wesley (Rock N Roll Heaven) to an all the way win at Ballarat.

The 55-year-old Alford, who drove his first win aboard Spring Vance at Wangaratta in 1984, holds the record for the most number of wins in the Southern Hemisphere.

Alford urged Im Wesley to the lead from its outside front row draw and Alford rated the four-year-old son of Rock N Roll Heaven to perfection holding off the $1.90 favorite Barra Mac and Auckland Red.

HE'S DONE IT!!@ChrisAlford5000 brings up win number 8000 with a victory on Im Wesley at Ballarat, harness racing history at Ballarat's Bray Raceway.
Congrats Puppet! You trots legend! pic.twitter.com/EhfY1huXVp

— The Trots (@TheTrotsComAu) February 7, 2024

Immediately after the race Alford was presented with a commemorative plaque from Harness Racing Australia chief executive Andrew Kelly.

“It’s nice to have that accomplishment sorted and some lovely mementos to remember it by,” Alford said.

Alford ranks his win on Mont Denver Gold, which was trained by his father Barry, in the 2003 A G Hunter Cup as the highlight of his career in the sulky.

“All wins are great with some more significant prizemoney wise, it’s just great to drive winners for guys with one horse as it is great to win big races for big stables,” he said.

“The one race I always remember is Mont Denver Gold’s win in the Hunter Cup as the most special memory I’ve had in harness racing.”

Alford said he never harbored any childhood ambitions to do anything else than drive.

“From the minute I left school I just went to the stables and always wanted to be a driver,” he said.

Alford has no plans to hang up the reins in the near future.

“These days I try to restrict my driving to the half a dozen tracks within an hour and half from home, but I’ll just keep going while I think I can do a good job,” he said

by John Dunne, for Harnesslink