After more than 50 years in the harness racing industry, Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Famer Keith Clark has retired from on-track participation.
Keith Clark ranks among — if not at the top of the list — of the greatest horsemen Alberta has ever produced. The longtime horseman has recorded 6,620 driving victories and has personally guided horses to more than $35.7 million in purses. On the training front, Clark’s horses have tallied 4,302 wins — second most by a trainer in Canadian harness racing history — with earnings just shy of $29 million.
On 13 occasions, he topped the million-dollar mark in seasonal driving earnings with another 11 million-dollar campaigns as a trainer.
Named Alberta’s Horsemen of the Year on 14 occasions, Clark was honoured with the O’Brien Award of Horsemanship in 2004 and 2011. He was inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame in 2009.
Horse Racing Alberta has produced the following video retrospective on Clark's tremendous career with comments from those who knew him best.
Be sure to check out the September issue of TROT Magazine for a full feature article on Keith Clark and his retirement.
Keith, we met long before you
Keith, we met long before you had a license and i even think u may have made your first drives at Assiniboia Downs in Winnipeg? Your Dad Lorne was there with you. Nevertheless, congrats man ever time i was at a track you were driving at i would go to the rail and you would see and come to grandstand, have a beer and chat
Stay well
Milford F. Cumberland
Congratulations Keith on a
Congratulations Keith on a well deserved retirement from racing. Hopefully many more years of off track participation. Lexington wouldn't be the same for me.
A wonderful video tribute for
A wonderful video tribute for one of the best on & off the track... I remember my earliest days at Northlands Park in 2006. It'd be the first time I'd see & call a horse by the name of Father Knows Best in a race & thinking of my Dad - I wanted this horse to win so bad. Keith made it look so easy with him & the pair would circle the field to be on the line first - "Father Knows Best & he always did!"... Congratulations Keith on a great career - enjoy your retirement!
I worked for Keith back in
I worked for Keith back in the day. I can remember one year we won if memory serves me right over 350 races right out of our barn. I'll never forget it. We had some horses from down under that year that Collin Forbes and some others brought up. One was named Goldstar N he was a cocky little stud with crooked front legs that Keith said what the heck are we going to do with him but I liked his spunk. He went on and surprised everyone I believe. At the end of the week working for Keith as a groom or trainer and you had a little nerve you usually made two to three times what you earned at the window. LOL
I grew up around the horses my whole life. My father Bud was pretty much the only person who ever looked after and trained The Cinderella Horse Dr. Stanton back in the late forties. I've never seen anyone do it as good as Keith Clark. He could do it all. He was a super sharp business guy and he had gifted hands in the bike. I often wondered how he would have made out in Toronto or the Meadowlands and I get why he never bothered to find out. He was the King of Western Canadian Racing. There will never be another one like him.
Happy retirement old friend.
A exceptional video tribute
A exceptional video tribute for "fats" on his Alberta racing legacy.
First met Keith when I raced
First met Keith when I raced Perfect Out in the inaugural Nat Christie in 82. Great horseman,great guy. What an amazing run! Year after year after year. Congratulations Keith well done. Between Keith and Rod everyone else were fighting for scraps back then.