Sport
7 September, 2023
Four figures up for young gun Herbertson
Lexton driver James Herbertson has continued to bring up some stunning achievements in his short career so far, notching 1000 wins as a driver. The achievement is made all the more impressive when you consider he is still just 23 years of age. From...

Lexton driver James Herbertson has continued to bring up some stunning achievements in his short career so far, notching 1000 wins as a driver. The achievement is made all the more impressive when you consider he is still just 23 years of age.
From 2019 to 2022, Herbertson has dominated the Concession Drivers Premiership in Victoria, winning three consecutive titles, as he continues to excel on the track.
Last Tuesday, Herbertson scored his 1000th win aboard Bay Of Biscay at Kilmore, and is currently looking good to secure the Victorian drivers’ championship, sitting on 175 wins for the year — 50 clear of champion driver Chris Alford, and the third most of anyone in Australia this season, sitting behind Queensland’s Nathan Dawson and Western Australia’s Gary Hall Junior.
For now, however, Herbertson is just focused on driving his best, and is starting to realise the enormity of bringing up 1000 race wins.
“It’s a bit scary. It’s hard to comprehend, actually. It doesn’t seem like it’s been that long that I’ve been a driver,” he said.
“I just have to keep building on my momentum as I am trying to build my career and reputation, and fortunately, I’ve been doing okay. It’s one of those things, keeping the ball rolling.”
Herbertson is grateful for all the support he has received over his time in harness racing, and is always looking to repay the trust he is shown by trainers in the industry.
“I think it all comes down to opportunity. I’m fortunate that I’ve had an abundance of that, and I can give something back to their trust. If people weren’t willing to give me a shot, I wouldn’t have got to 1000 wins. There’s a lot of people that are behind the whole show, in that regard,” he said.
“I’ve been able to do as much as I can on the track. It’s almost seven days a week, but you need the work ethic to keep on backing up day in and day out.”
That work ethic has seen hundreds of people send messages of support to him in the wake of his achievements.
“There’s been about 200 or 300 people that have put a message through to me, either through a text message or on the Harness Racing Victoria Facebook post displaying my achievement,” he said. “It’s quite humbling, for a 23-year-old and to have so many people reaching out and give me a pat on the back for what I’ve done.”