Harness: Hall of Fame trot at Goshen to be Campbell's last U.S. drive

The 107th season of racing in Goshen, N.Y., will include the final race in the United States for all-time money-winning driver John Campbell and inductions for harness racing’s finest over a long weekend from July 1-4.

On Sunday (July 2), John Campbell, whose $299.8 million in purses and 10,662 wins makes him the leading money-winning driver of all time in the world, will race for the final time in this country in the $10,000 Mr. and Mrs. Elbridge Gerry Memorial Trot for Hall of Fame drivers at Historic Track, 44 Park Place.

In the race with Campbell will be many who have competed against him in the past several decades, including Bill O’Donnell, Ron Waples, David Miller, Dave Palone, Jimmy Takter, Dick Stillings, Wally Hennessey and Brian Sears, who will be inducted into the Harness Racing Hall of Fame that evening.

The first 500 paid admissions to the track will get a commemorative photo montage of Campbell’s career highlights. All of the drivers in the Hall of Fame race will sign photos after the race.

The Hall of Fame race is on the card in the second of four days of racing at Historic Track. Racing starts at 1 p.m. each day, with New York-bred Excelsior stakes races taking place on Saturday (July 1), along with a visit from Cameo Hills Farm’s goodwill ambassador/riding horse/yearling babysitter Whiskey Pete p,4,1:48 4/5 ($426,701). Whiskey Pete will pose for selfies and invite pats from visitors behind the grandstand after races one, three, five and seven.

The Harness Racing Museum, adjacent to the track at 240 Main Street, is open every day of the long weekend from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., admission is free. New exhibits include one on the “Grey Ghost” Greyhound, trotting legend of the 1930s and set to open July 2 at 5 p.m. The exhibit includes his stall and adjacent sitting room, taken apart board by board in 2014 and re-assembled in the Museum. The sitting room was built next to his stall at his retirement home in Illinois to accommodate the regular parade of visitors he had until his death in 1965.

Induction ceremonies at the Harness Racing Hall of Fame in the Museum will take place Sunday evening (July 2). Driver Brian Sears leads the list of people and horses to be inducted.

The 36th annual Great American Weekend celebration takes place just a block from the Museum and track on Goshen’s nine-acre town green on Saturday and Sunday (July 1 and 2). Entertainment, craft and carnival food vendors are open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.

Racing resumes on Monday (July 3) with Landmark Stakes races and concludes on Tuesday (July 4) with New York-bred county fair races.

-Courtesy of Harness Racing Communications, a division of the U.S. Trotting Association. For more information, please visit www.ustrotting.com