Vale Charlie Rifici

Former prominent harness racing trainer/driver and Western Australian Trotting Association Life Member Charlie Rifici died last weekend.

Charlie’s parents migrated to Perth from Messina in Italy in 1933 with their children Rosina and Sam. Charlie was born in Western Australia in 1934 and grew up in Northbridge where his family ran a delicatessen and grocery store as well as a hair-dressing salon where Charlie’s older brother Sam earned a reputation as one of the country’s best hair-dressers.

He played football for Subiaco before being bitten by the trotting bug in the mid-fifties.

The first of his 275 winners came courtesy of Jura at Pinjarra on 6th November 1957 and the same horse gave Charlie the first of 147 Perth winners when it won at Richmond Raceway on 3rd March 1958.

His last winner came behind Count Aachen at Gloucester Park on 7th December 1979.

Count Aachen won eight races including six in Perth while the best horse Charlie trained and drove was arguably Maid Aachen which won seven races in Perth including the 1978 Navy Cup.

Charlie won a Bunbury Cup in 1967 with Top Centre while other prolific winners included Look Twice (12 wins), Brunette (10 wins), Billy Brandy (9 wins) and Kia Ora Ku (9 wins).

Charlie drove Contravis to win a number of races in Perth for trainer Sam Conti and the combination won a Gloucester Park Horse of the Year title.

As an owner Charlie and his wife Mercy raced the outstanding Victorian bred stallion Lake Street with Marcus Michael.

Lake Street, named in honour of the Northbridge locality so large in the early life of the Rifici and Michael families, won 18 races and some $166,000 with his biggest win coming in a WA 4&5yo Championship.

Lake Street was runner-up in a Golden Nugget Championship and placed in a 2yo WA Sales Classic and 2yo Victorian Sires Stakes final and later in two heats of the 1994 Inter Dominion Championship held in Sydney.

Charlie gave back to the industry in a number of ways including some 20 years as a Committeeman of BOTRA, a committeeman of the WA Trotting Association and was also a sponsor of the Rifici Junior Drivers Award at Gloucester Park and was involved in the sponsorship of the Fremantle Harness Racing Club through Signature Security.

by Alan Parker