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Can Dixon Crack the magic 300?

20 August 2018

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With 12 days of the current season remaining, a question needs to be asked.

Can Grant Dixon crack the 300 mark?

As it stands, no trainer in Australian harness racing history has ever prepared more than 300 winners in a single season but that record is under immense pressure.

Ironically, the current training record belongs to W.F Dixon, Grant’s father Bill, who prepared 299 winners during the 2010/11 season.

But both Emma Stewart and Grant himself are rapidly closing in on that magical and somewhat mythical figure of 300, the Victorian based Stewart has trained 286 winners while Dixon has a tally of 284.

Extraordinary numbers indeed.

During the current term, harness fans and historians have witnessed champion reinsman Chris Alford break the record for most wins in a single season with his tally currently at 434 and still climbing.

The previous mark belonged to Daryl Douglas at 388.

Fair to say, the 2017/18 season has been a season of record breaking achievements.

For Dixon, this current season will be his best as he will eclipse the mark he set last term when he prepared 286 winners.

Since taking over from his father Bill at the commencement of the 2011/12 season, Grant has trained in excess over 200 winners every year since with figures of 265, 226, 260, 282, 246 and 286.

During that time frame, Dixon has been the leading state trainer plus the leading trainer in the country!

In fact, the Dixon name has sat atop of the National Premiership since the 2007/08 season.

And during that reign, over 200 winners have been churned out each and every season.

In the next 12 days, Dixon has 9 meetings in his home state while he will also compete at the Breeders Crown meeting at TABCORP Park, Melton this Saturday night.

But he isn’t represented at tomorrow’s meeting at Albion Park while he has three runners engaged at Redcliffe on Wednesday night.

And more are expected later this week.

So, can he do it?

Only time will tell but it’s quite remarkable given Queensland races only five times a week while the odd extra meeting is added here and there but most times the Dixon is not represented at those additional meetings.

Many other states race seven days a week while at times, they stage 2 meetings per day.

Bottom line, the Dixon numbers are very impressive.

On nine occasions, he has prepared 5 or more winners at a meeting.

And he’s achieved that feat on three occasions this season, twice at Albion Park (11/11/17 & 12/5/18) and once at Redcliffe (4/4/18).

His best effort was 6 winners at a Gold Coast meeting back on June 14, 2013.

The watch is on and time is ticking.

 Chris Barsby | RQ Web News | August 20 | Photo by Dan Costello