Dixon harnesses his best for 5000

GRANT Dixon is poised to enter truly rarefied air.

The champion Queensland harness racing trainer-driver is on the verge of a remarkable 5000th driving win.

No Queenslander has ever come close.

And Dixon, sitting on 4992 wins, will become just the fourth Australasian driver to reach the phenomenal milestone. Only Victorian Hall of Famers Chris Alford (7700 wins), the late Gavin Lang (6303) wins and Chris Lewis 5900 wins have  done so.

The next closest current Queensland driver is Shane Graham on 2912 wins.

Dixon, the 49-year-old son of the late and great horseman Bill Dixon, started his driving career in 1988.

“Dad had been a top trainer and driver in Townsville and made the move down to Brisbane a few years earlier,” Dixon recalled. “It took me a bit of time to get ticking when I first started driving. I’d say it was a slow, gradual climb.”

Dixon has been aware of the looming milestone for a while, but he’s not the sort of guy who sweats that stuff.

“There’s been a bit of talk about it, but I’ve had plenty to focus on with the Carnival here without thinking about that,” he said.

“It’s a while back when I first became aware of it, and it seems like it's taken ages to get to it.

“We (Trista’s Dixon wife and he) have cut back our team a bit and we’re not getting to as many meetings as we used to … I’ll get there eventually.”

For all of his modesty, Dixon admits achieving something only legends like Lang and Alford have done in this part of the world would be satisfying.

“We all know how good they are. They’ve always been the benchmark,” he said.

“They’re definitely two of the best drivers I’ve driven against.

“To be talked about with them is definitely something to be proud of.”

It is very rare for Dixon to take horses interstate, but when he does, he is a force to be reckoned with as shown by recent wins like Leap To Fame’s NSW Derby in February and Colt Thirty One’s successful Victoria Derby raid in 2018.

Following Leap To Fame completing the NSW/Queensland Derby double at Albion Park last Saturday, Dixon looks set for more time interstate.

“We have some thinking to do on exactly where he goes and which races we target because there are so many options, but they are in NSW and Victoria,” he said.

It is a great time for Dixon and his wife Trista with such a huge personal milestone looming and the champion horseman declaring Leap To Fame “potentially the best horse we’ve had.”

“I think he’s potentially our best. Time will tell I guess, but he’s just such a wonderful racehorse who you can do work on and then he’ll just switch off and relax again,” Dixon said.

“Last Saturday was the most I’ve asked of him in a race, I really went for him in that last bit, and he gave me plenty. That says a lot about him.”

·       Adam Hamilton is a paid contributor writing on harness racing for News Corp.

DIXON’S DRIVING DOMINANCE

Career wins: 4992 (as of July 24)

Most wins in a single season: 242 in 2009/10

Career earnings (of his drives): $28 million

Career winning strike rate: 15%

Most wins on a single horse: Our Overanova (48 wins)

Group 1 wins: 16

Biggest wins:

• 2023 Group 1 Queensland Derby (Leap To Fame)
• 2019 Group 1 Blacks A Fake (Colt Thirty One)
• 2022 Group 1 NSW Derby (Leap To Fame)
• 2018 Group 1 Victoria Derby (Colt Thirty One)
• 2012 Group 1 Australian Gold 2YO final (Majestic Mach)
• 1994 Group 1 NSW Derby (Jeremy Lee)

NOTE: All figures current as of July 24, 2022