Greats pay tribute to milestone man Chris Lewis

Chris Lewis entered rare company driving Petes Honour (Sweet Lou) to harness racing victory at Pinjarra yesterday, joining Gavin Lang and Chris Alford as the only drivers to reach 6,000 winners.

Lewis is one of just five drivers from Western Australia to have scored more than 2,000 wins, alongside Gary Hall Jnr, Trevor Warwick, Colin Brown and Fred Kersley.

Lewis’ 6,000th winner came almost 52 years after his first, where he steered Classic Heir to victory at Kapunda in January 1972.

His first Inter Dominion success came in 1976, where he teamed up with Carclew to defeat Pure Steel.

Fred Kersley, who drove Pure Steel in that Inter Dominion, said Lewis made a big impression on him that night.

“That was my first memory of him, when he beat me in that Inter Dominion in South Australia,” Kersley told The Trots WA.

“I was on Pure Steel, who was an up-and-coming horse.

“From there, Chris went from strength to strength.”

Kersley, who has now forged his own successful career training thoroughbreds, said Lewis’ milestone was a testament to his commitment to harness racing.

“He’s still a very good driver and very patient,” he said.

“His longevity in the sport makes you wonder what he does when he’s not at the trots.

“I’d say he’s one of those drivers that doesn’t use a horse up much early in a race and he’s more likely to be finishing strongly.

“Tactically he gets it right more often than not.

“They don’t come any better than Chris and he’s had an exceptional career.”

While Lewis had Kersley competing against him during the first half of his career, Gary Hall Jnr has been one of Lewis’ main rivals over the second half of his career.

Hall Jnr said while Lewis was quite understated off the track, everything changed when he was on it.

“I was quite good friends with Mark (Lewis) and used to go to there place every week before I started driving,” Hall Jnr told The Trots WA.

“I always had a lot of respect for Chris, and it grew once I started driving.

“He’s a fierce competitor, which might be hard to understand because of the person he is off the track.

“He’s the type of person on the track if you give him an inch, he will take a mile.

“There’s been so many times where I thought I had him beaten in a race and I wouldn’t get there.

“I’d come off the track and think ‘how did I not win that’.”

While Hall Jnr said Lewis’ competitive instincts were a feature of his driving, he still competed in a fair manner.

“If there was a best and fairest at the trots, I think he would win every year,” he said.

“I’ve never seen him lose his cool on the track.

“I’ve seen everyone else lose their cool and it’s definitely something I’ve found impossible to do.”

Hall Jnr, who is closing in on 4,000 wins, said he hoped to have similar longevity to Lewis.

“Everyone hopes for longevity in the sport,” he said.

“If I’m still driving at a similar level when I turn 50 to what I am now, I’ll be happy.

“Chris, for me, is the hardest competitor I’ve driven against in my career.”

For complete race results, click here.

by Tim Walker, for RWWA