Inductee 2007: Frank Kersley

h

Hall of Fame

H

HALL OF FAME

Frank Kersley came to Western Australia from South Australia in 1929 as a 20 year-old and in the ensuing 30 years amassed a reputation as Australasia’s finest reinsman.

His first winner in Perth came just months after his arrival in the State and four years later he then made the momentous decision to go full-time as trainer and driver.

He won the first of 11 Driver’s Titles that same season on his way to becoming the first driver to pass the 500 Perth wins milestone.

Frank Kersley also won seven Trainer’s Premierships – a tally bettered only by his nephew Fred. Frank Kersley retired in 1973 with more than 700 winners across Australia to his name including victory in the 1954 Inter Dominion with Tennessee Sky after a typically brilliant tactical drive.

His desire to win races was almost insatiable and his rivals saw him as the ultimate, the complete horseman, a gentleman and the idol and inspiration for every aspiring young stable-hand of his era.

Frank Kersley’s achievements as a trainer and a driver were recognised in the best possible way in 1987, when he was the first harness driver inducted into the Western Australian Institute of Sport’s Hall of Champions.