Westburn Grant (1985–2020) was an

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal A ...

champion

Standardbred The Standardbred is an American horse breed best known for its ability in harness racing, where members of the breed compete at either a trot or pace. Developed in North America, the Standardbred is recognized worldwide, and the breed can trace i ...

race horse notable for being a three time

Australian Harness Horse of the Year The Australian Harness Horse of the Year is an honour that recognises the top harness racing horse in the Australia. The award is selected by industry people and media representatives. The inaugural award was won in 1976 by Don't Retreat, a New So ...

. Westburn Grant raced only three times at aged two in the 1987-88 season for three wins.Cain, R (1990), Harnessing A Miracle, At age three he blossomed winning the Victoria and New South Wales Derbies and finishing third in the Australian Derby. In the NSW Derby he beat Victorian pacer Rockleigh Victory by 21 metres in a track record mile rate of 1:59.0 for 2350 metres. He also travelled to New Zealand where he was unbeaten in three races including the

New Zealand Derby The New Zealand Derby is a set-weights Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds, run over a distance of 2,400 metres (12 furlongs) at Ellerslie Racecourse in Auckland, New Zealand. It is held on the first Saturday in March, as the opening day o ...

where he outclassed the local horses winning by nearly nine lengths. He was named

for 1988-89. As a four year old in 1989-90 Westburn Grant won the Miracle Mile Pace beating Thorate and Jodie’s Babe after an early speed battle with Thorate. He effortlessly won the Treuer Memorial at

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and won the Golden Nugget against his own age in

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however he was unplaced in the Western Australian Pacing Cup. He then won the South Australian Cup in track record time and was a close fourth in the Victoria Cup. He was placed in all three of his

Inter Dominion :''for winners of the Inter Dominion see: Inter Dominion Pacing Championship and Inter Dominion Trotting Championship'' The Inter Dominion is a harness racing competition that has been contested since 1936 in Australia and New Zealand. It is ...

heats at

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but was unplaced in the final. For the season he started 14 times with 8 wins and had earnings of $388,135. In 1990-91 Westburn Grant won the Queensland Pacing Championship, the Legends at Moonee Valley rating 1.57.0 for 1940 metres and the Italian Cup at

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in track record time for 2700 metres defeating Thorate before being unplaced in the

Australian Pacing Championship The Australian Pacing Championship is a harness racing event showcasing some of Australia's and New Zealand’s best pacers. It is currently held annually at Gloucester Park in Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian s ...

. He then won the Miracle Mile in a track record of 1:55.6 defeating Almeta Boy and Defoe. At

Gloucester Park, Perth Gloucester Park is a harness racing course in Perth, Western Australia. In the suburb of East Perth, Western Australia, East Perth, the oval course is adjacent to the WACA Ground. The track is lit, and Friday night pacing events are popular. As ...

Westburn Grant won the Western Australian Pacing Cup by 20 metres before suffering a broken pastern in a trackwork accident.WA Pacing Cup through the years
TAB, Retrieved 10 February 2016 He won 9 of 13 starts for the season and $606,300. Despite missing the final two grand circuit races due to injury he was still crowned Grand Circuit Champion and also awarded the honour of being named Australian Harness Horse of the Year for a second time. Westburn Grant returned from injury with a track record win at

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. He was second in the

Queensland Pacing Championship The Queensland Pacing Championship is the most important event in Queensland harness racing. It is usually the opening leg of the Australasian Pacers Grand Circuit. The race was previously known as the Albion Park Ten Thousand between 1969 and 1974 ...

when outstayed by Franco Ice in a record 1:55.1 rate for 2100 metres and won the

at Launceston. He was third in the Miracle Mile Pace behind Christopher Vance before an emotional win in the

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at Gloucester Park not long after the sudden death of trainer-driver Vic Frost’s son Gary. At Moonee Valley he won the 1992

from Franco Tiger and Blossom Lady. For the third consecutive year he was Australasian Grand Circuit Champion and he was voted

for a third time. He was retired after an unplaced performance behind Jack Morris in the 1993 Inter Dominion in Brisbane. Westburn Grant died in June 2020.Harness racing champion Westburn Grant dead; Inter Dominion and dual Miracle Mile winner

The Courier Mail ''The Courier-Mail'' is an Australian newspaper published in Brisbane. Owned by News Corp Australia, it is published daily from Monday to Saturday in tabloid format. Its editorial offices are located at Bowen Hills, in Brisbane's inner northern ...

, 26 June 2020

References

{{Reflist, 2 1985 racehorse births 2020 racehorse deaths Inter Dominion winners Miracle Mile winners Standardbred racehorses bred in Australia