Hall claims slice of history in ADC

TOUTED as the one to beat heading into the series, Gary Hall junior has lived up to the hype by capturing the Australian Drivers' Championship.

Competing against 11 rivals at Globe Derby yesterday, Hall's success saw him claim the throne for the second time.

Hall's opposition consisted of two drivers from each state, along with Deni Roberts as his Western Australian team mate

Winner of the 2019 edition in Tasmania, Hall created history by becoming the first dual ADC title holder.

Roberts also did WA proud by finishing third, with New South Wales reinswoman Ashleigh Delosa splitting the pair.

"It's always a privilege to represent WA and to bring home the win is a terrific result," Hall said. "Deni and I both making the podium is great.

"I actually didn't have a lot of confidence going into it as I don't know the horses well, but it worked out for me.

"To be honest, I wasn't even aware I was close to winning until Deni told me I only need four points in the last heat to win!"

Successful earlier in the evening with Franco Landry and Our Spitfire, Hall guided Jilliby Mistress into fourth in the last heat to earn seven points for a total of 72.

Delosa scored 68 points, with Roberts on 66.

Delosa is the hard luck story of the series as she also won two heats, but given the fields were smaller, she earned less points!

For example, one of Delosa's wins was in a field of six, earning her 13 points, while Hall captured a 'full field' and gained 19 points, which made the difference in the result!

But the glory sits with Hall.

"It was a brilliant night," Hall said. "The trot was the best of the heats as it was the only one in which we all drove against each other and was the best to win for that reason as it came with more points.

"These tournaments are always great because you can catch up with your peers in a more relaxed environment and have a lot of fun while also being competitive."

Celebrating his victory in style with a night out in Adelaide, Hall revealed Victorian veteran Chris Alford gets the nod for the party animal among the crew.

"We all went out and had a late night, it was a great weekend," Hall said. "It's not often we get together to relax like that.

"There was only one night club open in Adelaide, so we went there and had a great time.

"Chris was initially hesitant to come, but we talked him into it and he was still dancing away at 3:30 in the morning.

"He put in a Lennytheshark staying performance to get through the night, but I reckon he'll need a vet check before his next start!"