The Simons were inducted into the Victorian Harness Racing Hall of Fame’s Family Category, which honours those who have excelled in the sport across generations.

Just how significant is a horse named Alf to the Simons family? The answer is very, and here is why.

Prior to World War One the horse was king. For transport, for work, for companionship and for entertainment. Every farmer had multiple types and Charlie Simons was no different, and the attraction of annual sports days in the surrounding districts, such as Redbank and Rheola, was magnetic.

In 1912, Charlie entered a chestnut gelding named Alf in a Maiden Trot and was successful. Five years later he named one of his sons simply Alfred.

Alfred would in turn later name his only son Ron Alfred and, in 1970, Alf Simons won his hometown Inter Dominion at the Royal Melbourne Showgrounds and was later inducted into the Hall of Fame. The Alf name was to live on and on and on as Alf’s granddaughter, Lisa Lewis, named her son Alfie.

The thrill of racing horses was not limited in the family to Charlie Simons, his brother, William (“Bill”), also competed before being called up to serve his country in World War One. On his return, Bill regularly drove and won with horses from Charlie’s ever expanding and successful stable.

Charlie was not afraid to travel, winning at Rheola, Wedderburn, Wycheproof, Charlton, Inglewood, Maryborough, Korong Vale, Dunolly, Bealiba, Ararat, St Arnaud, Fentons Creek, Donald (inaugural meet), Navarre, Newstead, Horsham, Minyip, Echuca, Marong, Woosang, Elmore, Warracknabeal, Bendigo and Ascot. The meetings competed at were quite varied, a mixture of trotting meetings, trotting races on galloping programs, sports meetings (e.g. at Rheola), and country shows.

His best horses were Direct B, Hermorer, Decorum Girl, Bernie Almont, Daphne Bells, Gladys Bronte, Bluein and Royal King. Bluein was Charlie’s first metropolitan winner as an owner – the horse was leased by Ron Males at the time – and Royal King was his first metropolitan win as a trainer, scoring on 22nd July 1940, when it was driven by his son Alf.

Alf became involved at the age of just 12 and scored a double in the Boys Trots. His first victory in a race at a registered meeting was at Ararat in 1934 on Boxing Day in the sulky behind smart pacer Cooraminta. The winning margin was 60 yards.

At all of the Rheola Sports meetings, Alf competed against or in the company of members of the Bellenger family. Wee Billy and Decorous were the headline horses for the Bellengers, however, the standout performer was Dorothy ‘Dorrie’ Bellenger, who at age 18 won her first race at Rheola in 1938 with her own horse Lady Florence. That same year, she married Alf Simons. Their first child, Ron Alfred, was born in 1939.

Alf drove his first metropolitan winner in Royal King at Ascot in 1940. As is well known, metropolitan harness racing was shut down in 1942 before re-emerging under lights in 1947 and Alf enjoyed plenty of success with the mares Nancy Dalla and Dainty Flossie when it did.

Dorrie was an exceptional horsewoman but, like all other women, was not allowed to drive at the time. She won an exhibition in 1958 under lights and later trained Special Dollar, winner of G1 Victoria Trotters Derby.

In the late ’50s came the champion trotter Don’t Enquire, who gave young Ron his first two metro wins, doing it in style from handicaps of 96 yards and a record equaling 108 yards.

In 1962/63, Ron drove four winners and Alf five, and Ron looked set to take over as the stable’s main driver, but he tragically drowned on the first day of the duck shooting season, which coincided with the 1964 Melbourne Inter Dominion.

Ron’s sister Betty was fortunate to be old enough to get a licence once the bans on women were lifted in 1977 and, specialising in trotters, she won six in town and carved her own part of history by being the first female driver to compete in an Inter Dominion Trotters Championship.

Betty’s son Dean was successful in the city, as was his wife Donna, but his prowess as a farrier that earned him most respect within the industry. Betty’s daughter Lisa, whose first metro winner was actually at Gloucester Park, has been highly successful and in 2024 surpassed grandfather Alf in terms of Melbourne metropolitan training successes.

CLICK HERE for a list, in chronological order, of every winner the Simons name has been associated with as a driver and trainer up to and including June 30, 2026. The totals are:

359 Melbourne DRIVING VICTORIES – 306 Melbourne TRAINING VICTORIES