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 Harness racing is a form of horse racing in which the horses race at a specific gait (a trot or a pace). They usually pull a two-wheeled cart called a sulky, spider, or chariot occupied by a driver. In Europe, and less frequently in Australia ...

. 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 Roosevelt Raceway was a race track located just outside the village of Westbury on Long Island, New York. Initially created as a venue for the 1936 Vanderbilt Cup auto race, it was converted to a ½-mile harness racing facility (the actual ci ...

and in 1972 with the colt

Strike Out In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It means the batter is out, unless the third strike is not caught by the catcher and the batter reaches first base safel ...

he won the Little Brown Jug, the

Adios Pace The Adios Pace is a horse race for three-year-old Standardbred colts and geldings run annually since 1967 at a distance of one mile at The Meadows Racetrack and Casino, Meadows Racetrack in North Strabane Township, Pennsylvania. Historical race ev ...

and

Prix d'Été Prix d'Été (English: Summer Classic) is a horse racing event for four-year-old Standardbred pacers held annually in Canada, at Hippodrome 3R of Trois-Rivières, Quebec. History This event was held for the first time in 1966 under the name of ...

. Keith Waples was inducted into

Canada's Sports Hall of Fame Canada's Sports Hall of Fame (; sometimes referred to as the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame) is a Canadian sports hall of fame and museum in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Dedicated to the history of sports in Canada, it serves as a hall of fame and mu ...

in 1973 and the

Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame The Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame was established in 1976 to honour those who have made a significant contribution to the sport of harness racing, harness and Thoroughbred racing, Thoroughbred horse racing in Canada. It is located at Woodbine ...

in 1978 and the United States Harness Racing Hall of Fame in 1987. 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.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Waples 1923 births 2021 deaths Canadian harness racing drivers Canadian harness racing trainers Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame inductees Sportspeople from Simcoe County United States Harness Racing Hall of Fame inductees