Australasian harness racing has lost one of its all-time greats with the passing of Westburn Grant.

His trainer-driver and adoring caretaker in retirement Vic Frost said Westburn Grant died yesterday, just a couple of months short of his 35th birthday.

Frost and his wife, Gail Geeson, said they were grieving the loss of their “best mate.”

Westburn Grant, affectionately known as “Spot”, won 38 of his 67 starts and over $2 million, including the 1992 Melbourne Inter Dominion and two Miracle Miles in 1989 and ‘90.

“He’d had a tumor on his neck and went downhill in the last week. It’s a really sad time … he’s been with me all his life. I raced his Mum (Westburn Vue) and he’s been with since he was born,” Frost said.

“He’s had a fantastic life, he was almost 35. He’s had the run of the place at home here with Gail (Frost’s wife) and I. He’d help himself to the hay shed and wander from one horse to another to stand next to them, many of those horses his descendants. Gail pampered him like nothing else.

“What a super racehorse he was, too. He had blistering speed and could do it early or late, as well as having a fair bit of stamina.

“John Hunt (former WA racecaller) made a video of the glory days between he and Franco Ice, called The Summer of  Frost and Ice. Gail and I will be getting that over the next few days to watch it back a few times.”

Frost thought so much of Westburn Grant as a three-year-old, he dared to do the unthinkable and went to Christchurch for the triple crown of NZ feature three-year-old races, including the NZ Derby.

“They rang us and said they’d put on a $100,000 bonus for any horse who could win the three races. From memory, they said only one horse had done it before,” Frost recalled.

“The trick was the 2000m race in the middle with 2600m races either side, but ‘Spot’ went there and won them all. I think they scrapped the bonus straight after that.

“It was a great trip. We stayed at Barney Breen’s place (who owned Westburn Grant) and trained him at Derek Jones’ place.”

Frost will always treasured the two Miracle Mile wins in 1989 and 1990, but spoke most glowingly of his 1992 Melbourne Inter Dominion win.

“That was a real challenge, a real triumph,” he said. “He’d always had bad feet, but they were a huge issue during that series.

“I had to find a long stretch beach to train him and I did, at least a couple of hours from Melbourne at a place called Venus Bay.

“We were away from the world and nobody could contact me. I got him as well as I could and he did the rest in the final.”

The most treasured win of Westburn Grant’s career for Frost came in when he landed his second Group 1 WA Pacing Cup victory in January, 1992.

It came just two weeks after Vic and his then wife, Margaret, lost their son Gary in a tragic accident at home.

“We were in Perth with the horse when Gary died. We went back home, left the horse with Colin Brown in Perth, and went back a week or so later and ‘Spot’ did it for us. That win meant so much,” Frost said.

THE WESTBURN GRANT FILE

34-year-old by Land Grant out of Westburn Vue

Trainer-driver: Vic Frost

Record: 67 starts; 38 wins; 18 placings

Stakemoney: $2,074,316

Major wins:

  • 1992 Melbourne Inter Dominion
  • 1989 & ’90 Miracle Miles
  • 1991 Australian Pacing Championship
  • 1991 & ’92 WA Pacing Cups
  • 1990 & ’92 SA Cups

Awards:

  • 1991 & ’92 Australian Horse of the Year
  • 1990, ’91 & ’92 Australian Grand Circuit Champion
  • 1989 Australian 3YO of the Year
  • 1989 NZ 3YO of the Yea
     

VIDEO TRIBUTE TO WESTBURN GRANT: