John Campbell (harness racing)

John Duncan Campbell (born April 8, 1955 in Ailsa Craig, Ontario) is a retired Canadian harness racing driver. He has been inducted into the Harness Racing Hall of Fame, the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame and Canada's Sports Hall of Fame.

John Campbell
John Campbell at Meadowlands track, 2013
OccupationHarness racing driver
Born(1955-04-08)April 8, 1955
Ailsa Craig, Ontario, Canada
Major racing wins
Meadowlands Pace
(1982, 1989, 1994, 1995, 1999, 2001, 2002) †
Canadian Trotting Classic (1983, 2010)
Maple Leaf Trot (1983, 1987)
Adios Pace
(1984, 1987, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 2002, 2003) †
Breeders Crown Open Trot
(1985, 1988, 1989, 1994, 1997, 2008) †
Little Brown Jugette
(1985, 1989, 1992,1998, 2016) †
Art Rooney Pace
(1990, 1993, 1994, 1999) †
North America Cup
(1991, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999) †
Breeders Crown Open Pace
(1992, 2002, 2003, 2011, 2014) †
Betsy Ross Mares Invitational Pace
(2008, 2015)

U.S. Trotting Triple Crown wins:
Hambletonian Stakes
(1987, 1988, 1990, 1995, 1998, 2006) †
Yonkers Trot
(1987, 1998, 2014)
Kentucky Futurity
(1989, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1997, 2004, 2007, 2014) †

U.S. Pacing Triple Crown wins:
Little Brown Jug
(1982, 1993, 1995)
Cane Pace
(1985, 1989, 1990, 2002, 2004) †
Messenger Stakes
(1986, 1987, 1990, 1994, 1995, 1998, 2000, 2004) †

  • † denotes record
Racing awards
Harness Tracks of America Driver of the Year (1983, 1988, 1990)
Honours
Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame (1987)[1]
U. S. Harness Racing Hall of Fame (1990)[2]
Little Brown Jug Wall of Fame (1996)
Meritorious Service Medal (Canada) (2000)[3]
Canada's Sports Hall of Fame (2009)[4]
Significant horses
Art Major, Cam's Card Shark, David's Pass, Glidemaster, Life Sign, Mack Lobell
Muscles Yankee, Nuncio, Pine Chip
Peace Corps, Precious Bunny, The Panderosa

Dunc Campbell and his father before him were Standardbred horsemen. Dunc had two sons Ray and Jack Campbell with his family near London, Ontario. Jack had two sons, John Campbell and Jim Campbell. Ray was a trainer/driver as well as his son Robert Campbell.

Both John and Jim Campbell have established themselves in the upper echelon of harness racing, however many consider John Campbell the greatest reinsman of all-era's.

Campbell's dollar purse earnings, exceed any currently active driver or jockey. John has won more dollars-in-purses at any North American Track (i. e, The Meadowlands Racetrack) than any jockey or driver.

Campbell is considered by many to be the best driver in harness racing history. In 1976, harness racing was changed forever by the opening of the Meadowlands Racetrack in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The Meadowlands, also known as the Big M, is a one-mile harness track which attracted the very best harness horses, trainers and drivers in North America. Entering the 1970s, harness races were mostly contested with the horses racing in single file until they reached the homestretch, where the real race began. Also, most horses were driven by their owners or trainers. When the Meadowlands opened, a new breed of driver emerged called the catch-driver. The catch-driver was usually younger, lighter and more athletic and was able to make the horses go faster than the previous generation of driver. Campbell was the dominant catch driver of the late 1970s and 1980s and well into the 1990s. Campbell was a pioneer in the development of the modern catch driver and today, most top drivers are catch drivers.

He was the youngest driver ever elected into the U.S. Harness Racing Hall of Fame in 1990 at age 35 and is also a member of the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the London (Ont.) Sports Hall of Fame in its inaugural class, 2002.

Campbell won the Hambletonian Stakes for a sixth time in 2006 with Glidemaster.[5]

On July 12, 2008, Campbell won his 10,000th race as a driver by guiding Share the Delight to victory in the sixth race at Meadowlands Racetrack.[6][7]

Campbell is a resident of River Vale, New Jersey.[8]

References
  1. Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame Retrieved October 13, 2016
  2. U. S. Harness Racing Museum and Hall of Fame Retrieved October 13, 2016
  3. Office of the Governor General of Canada Retrieved October 14, 2016
  4. Canada's Sports Hall of Fame Retrieved October 13, 2016
  5. John Campbell Wins 6th Hambletonian
  6. Harness Racing Communications Newsletter, Dec 3, 2008
  7. 2008 United States Trotting Association Handbook
  8. Retirement? - No way says John Campbell
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