Keith Waples

Keith Waples
Occupation	Harness racing driver & trainer
Born	(1923-12-08)December 8, 1923 Victoria Harbour, Ontario, Canada
Died	May 7, 2021(2021-05-07) (aged 97) Guelph, Ontario, Canada
Career wins	3,207 (many more from earlier times when records were not kept)[1]
Major racing wins
Maple Leaf Trot (1954, 1962) International Trot (1962) Little Brown Jug (1972) Messenger Stakes (1972) Adios Pace (1972) Prix d'Été (1972)
Honours
Canada's Sports Hall of Fame (1973) Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame (1978) United States Harness Racing Hall of Fame (1987)
Significant horses
Tie Silk, Strike Out

Keith Gordon Waples (December 8, 1923 – May 7, 2021) was a Canadian Hall of Fame sulky driver and horse trainer in the sport of harness racing. In 1959, Waples became the first driver to record a sub two-minute mile in Canada and the first to win a $100,000 race in Canada.

In 1962, Keith Waples drove Tie Silk to victory in the International Trot at Roosevelt Raceway^[2] and in 1972 with the colt Strike Out he won the Little Brown Jug,^[3] the Adios Pace^[4] and Prix d'Été.^[5]

Keith Waples was inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in 1973 ^[6] and the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame in 1978 ^[7] and the United States Harness Racing Hall of Fame in 1987.^[8] In 2008, Waples was an inductee (Athlete category) of the Midland (Ontario) Sports Hall of Fame. Waples died in May 2021, at the age of 97.^[9]

References

1. Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame
2. Chicago Tribune - August 19, 1962 Retrieved October 13, 2016
3. Chicago Tribune - September 22, 1972 Retrieved October 13, 2016
4. Sports Illustrated - August 21, 1972 Retrieved October 13, 2016
5. Ottawa Journal - August 28, 1972 Retrieved October 13, 2016
6. Canada's Sports Hall of Fame Retrieved October 13, 2016
7. Canadian Harness Racing Hall of Fame Retrieved October 13, 2016
8. United States Harness Racing Museum and Hall of Fame Retrieved October 13, 2016
9. "WAPLES, Keith Gordon -". Gilbert Macintyre and Son. Retrieved 17 September 2021.