WA Racing Elite To Be Inducted Into Hall Of Fame
1 March, 2017
Hall of Fame
Racing and Wagering Western Australian (RWWA) will announce the next round of inductees for elevation into the Western Australian Racing Hall of Fame (WARHOF) on Thursday.
WARHOF honours champions from across the thoroughbred, harness racing and greyhound codes and from the list of 33 nominees, 12 new inductees will be welcomed into the Hall of Fame at a gala induction ceremony at Crown Perth Ballroom on Thursday 2 March.
“This is the fifth WARHOF induction and when you appreciate the size of the industry and the breadth of code contribution we are recognising, narrowing down the nominees is a very challenging process,” said RWWA Chairman, Jeff Ovens.
“This year, we looked to acknowledge those in our breeding industries, with the addition of sire Haulpak in the thoroughbred code, and Blue Echo in the greyhound code. It is important to recognise the contribution of those that have helped shape our breeding industries in Western Australia,” he said.
The 2017 Thoroughbred nominees include:
- Horses – Haulpak, La Trice, Old Comrade and Raconteur
- Jockeys – Rodney Kemp, RG (Bobby) Morley and Mark Sestich
- Trainers – Harold Campbell, Lou Luciani and Len Pike
- Associates – Marjorie Charleson, Albert Edmund Cockram, Sir Ernest Lee Steere (Snr) and Max Simmonds.
Marjorie Charleson was the WA Turf Club’s public relations officer for 16 years and was responsible for luring some of the country’s best horses to Ascot. She was also instrumental in getting the champion Kingston Town to Perth for the 1982 Western Mail Classic, which is now known as the Kingston Town Classic. In honour of her contribution, Perth Racing named the Marjorie Charleson Classic after her.
The 2017 Harness racing nominees include:
- Horses – Frosty Nelson, Im Themightyquinn, Jack Morris, Norm’s Daughter, Royal Force and The Falcon Strike
- Trainer/Drivers – Jim Hand, Lyle Lindau, Bob Pollock, Harold Richter and Andy Sheahan
- Harness Associates – Rob Bovell, Sir Frank Ledger and Alan Parker.
Im Themightyquinn an Australian Harness Horse of the Year three times and three time winner of the Inter Dominion. He won a total of 14 Group 1 races, and over $4.5m in prizemoney, winning a total of 58 races in a career that spanned eight years.
The 2017 Greyhound nominees include:
- Greyhounds – Blue Echo, Bright Idea and Paradise Street
- Trainers – David Hamer and Keith Harding.
Prominent trainer Keith Harding is one of the most highly respected specialist’s in training greyhounds to chase over the longest trips. Keith trained three greyhounds that went on to receive WA’s highest accolade, the WA Greyhound of the Year. Harding also won major feature events such as the Paradise Street Trophy three times, the Distance Gift twice and the WA Distance Championship once.
With 58 champions and associates currently inducted into the WARHOF, the 2017 inductees will be joining elite and much revered company on induction evening.
Visit www.waracinghalloffame.com.au to view a biography on all 2017 nominees and previous inductees of the Western Australian Racing Industry Hall of Fame.
WARHOF is proudly supported by The West Australian, Channel 7 and 6PR..