Asked if he was tempted to come out of retirement to drive one more time on June 12 at Clinton Raceway’s Legends Day, Hall of Famer John Campbell gave a typical all-class Campbell answer.
“No, I’m really not. I thought it was a perfect exit for me leaving it at Legends Day before and I’m content to leave it at that,” said Campbell.
Campbell, 67, a native of Ailsa Craig, Ont., drove for the final time in his stellar career at the 2017 edition of Legends Day. He retired from the sport with career earnings of $303 million, making him the richest driver in harness racing history. His retirement at Clinton Raceway was a magical ending to a remarkable career. Campbell said he doesn’t want to spoil that by returning to the bike.
Campbell, who has been present at all 10 previous editions of Legends Day, will be making the journey from his home in New Jersey for the 11th Legends Day to sign autographs and rekindle old friendships.
“It’s always a great day for me and it always has been since the first one," he said. "It’s just a chance to go back and see so many people… there’s a certain segment of people and that’s the only time I see them is on Legends Day – people I grew up with and started out racing with, people I knew when I was young. It's really an enjoyable experience for me. It’s kind of a homecoming deal for me. I can’t stress enough how much fun I’ve had over the years at Legends Day.”
Legends Day honours some of the greatest drivers in the sport’s history. All have been inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame. Those coming to this year’s edition have collectively earned nearly $1.2 billion — yup, that’s billion with a b — in their racing careers.
This year, Doug Brown, Steve Condren, Wally Hennessey, Trevor Ritchie, Ron Waples and freshly-minted Hall of Famers Paul MacDonell and Randy Waples — who will both be officially inducted in August — will contest the $15,000 Legends Day Trot. It is the first Legends Day for MacDonell and Randy Waples.
Campbell, Bill O’Donnell and Dave Wall will also be there to sign autographs.
“I think there’s two things that have made Legends Day what it is,” said Campbell. “The first thing is the interaction – both ways – between the fans and the legends. It’s a unique dynamic… that synergy between the legends and the fans, both ways, it’s really special. The other thing is just [Clinton Raceway GM and Hall of Famer] Ian [Fleming] tweaking it and keeping it fresh and coming up with the concept in the first place.”
This year, there will be an online auction from June 5-9 at clintonraceway.com. On Legends Day itself, there will be a silent auction, autographs with the Legends from 2-3 p.m., the Legends Day Trot will hit the track at 4 p.m., and a chicken barbeque will follow the races. All the food has been donated and all sales will, again, go to the Clinton Public Hospital Foundation.
Previous editions of Legends Day have raised more than $260,000 for the foundation. In 2019, Legends Day raised $50,000.
Then, the COVID-19 pandemic forced a one-year delay to the, normally, biennial event.
“I’m just like everybody else, I’m so happy that we can be together and we’re travelling again," said Campbell. "COVID hasn’t left us, so we just have to learn to live with it and… I think everyone is just ready to move on with their lives. We have to deal with COVID, but it’s not going to hinder us.”
(With files from Clinton Raceway)