For more than 50 years, Bert enjoyed a long and successful career as a trainer, his impact profound, courtesy of two great thoroughbreds, Fait Accompli and Asian Beau, one he forged into a champion and the other he recognised as a champion from a yearling.
Bert came from an Irish background and before his entry into thoroughbred training he was a leading show rider for twenty years, winning hundreds of ribbons and awards and would lead a four-man Western Australian team that took on and beat the best of the eastern states riders.
After Bert graduated from show riding around the Perth metropolitan area to be trainer and rider for Linda and Doris Colliver, the most prominent show riders of their era, he developed an appetite for trotting and breaking in of horses.
To broaden his trotting knowledge and experience, he worked for trainers Don Ryan and Brian Cook and gained a reinsman’s license on fast class pacer Yeldon before landing his first win with his first drive on Fair Lou at Busselton.
He won seven races with Precipitation, who later ran third in an Interdominion final and enjoyed further winning drives with Wandering Willie and Red Paul before departing the sport after he was involved in a fall at Gloucester Park.
Bert’s transition to the thoroughbred world after harness racing came as a horse breaker. He broke horses and gained a foothold in that industry working for the state’s leading owners and trainers, Ted McAuliffe, Bob Burns and Mrs Dot Parry among his high-profile clients.
While breaking in horses, Bert took over the training duties of Finespirit, a maiden win at Narrogin kicking off his training journey before more success with Naaora, Tent Bridge, Attention and Rose Of Valour. Later, Lynsted Lad, Jasupe, Carmens Caper, All Comedy, Windsor Waltz and Cold Heart added to his impressive racing resume.
Fate change when Bert secured Fate Accompli, who didn’t set the world on fire early, still a maiden after 10 starts, but was sent to Bert by owner Joe Williams.
Bert worked tirelessly with Fait Accompli after identifying he had a bad habit of running off the track and was leading on his wrong leg. After fourth months and hours of re-education, Bert’s perseverance paid off spectacularly.
After returning to win a Beverly maiden, Fait Accompli completed a sequence of six straight wins before his 1970 Perth Cup triumph under the guidance of Ken Bradley. His Perth Cup heroics was repeated two years later for Ray Oliver, father of Perth-born and Australian Hall Of Fame inductee, Damien Oliver, when prizemoney was lifted from $20,000 to $100,000, carrying the same stakes as the Melbourne Cup.
Bert and Joe Williams continued their successful association with Fait Divers, a record $10,000 buy for Williams, who develop into one of the best sprinters his era, but the big deal came soon after when Bert encouraged Joe to pay $8,000 for Asian Beau, a handsome son of Beau Sovereign at the 1978 yearling sale.
A natural speedy galloper, who became an idol for local WA racing fans, Asian Beau became a firm favourite for Bert, who trained him to win 12 of his 14 starts, including the triple Crown: the Winterbottom, Lee Steere and Railway.
Asian Beau, with Graeme Webster Sr in the saddle, underlined his class by winning the Prince Of Wales Stakes by 6 ½ lengths and in an Australian record time of 1 minute and 8.52 seconds.
His deeds in the west didn’t escape the attention of renowned Sydney trainer, Tommy Smith who declared Asian Beau the best sprinter in the land and offered $450,000 for him.
Smith has a first-hand look at Asian Beau when his galloper Embasadora defeated him in the WATC Quality before Asian Beau exacted revenge and thrashed Embasadora by five lengths in the Lee Steere Stakes.
Smith declared Asian Beau the best sprinter in the land and was eventually sold to local owner Yossse Goldburg for around $650,000 and transferred to new trainer, George Way.
Aside from his training skills, Bert was also a noted apprentice maker, nurturing the careers of many fine young riders including Troy Jackman, a dual winner of the Perth Cup and Railway Stakes, Sean Posner and Allan Huges, leading apprentices under Bert’s reign.
Despite his profile, Bert was a quiet man, a deep thinker and always guarded and reserved in his thoughts, but he wasn’t shy in declaring that Fait Accompli could have won a Melbourne Cup and Asian Beau was the equal to any sprinter in Australia.
Bert, an affable 94-year-old, still retains a link to Asian Beau, presenting the trophy for the Asian Beau Stakes at Ascot’s Pinnacles carnival each year.
Bert Harrison: showjumper, reinsman, horse breaker, thoroughbred trainer and tonight a deserving inductee into the WA Racing Hall Of Fame.