Odds On Racing - Harness Racing

Campbell On The Mend

October 24, 2006

John Campbell, the leading money-winning driver in the history of harness racing, may have surgery as early as Friday to stabilize a fractured tibia suffered in a racing accident Saturday, Oct. 21, at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto.

Both Campbell’s New Jersey doctor and an orthopedic surgeon for the Toronto Maple Leafs hockey team have consulted on the leg injury, according to Paula Campbell, John’s wife, who flew up Sunday morning to be by her husband’s side.

“He’s getting excellent care up here and both doctors have reassured me that if things go as scheduled he could have a complete recovery and not even walk with a limp,” Paula said Tuesday from Etobicoke General Hospital, where Campbell will spend the foreseeable future. “If the swelling in the leg goes down enough they are looking at surgery maybe Friday or Saturday,” she continued. “They have to stabilize the bone just below the knee. Eventually when they say he can come home we will fly to New Jersey on Panda Air (private charter).”

Campbell was enjoying his best year since being sidelined by a severe elbow injury in 2003. He had won $8.8 million in purses and captured his sixth Hambletonian with the trotter Glidemaster in August at The Meadowlands. He has won more than $240 million in his Hall of Fame career.

“He’s in pain of course, but the elbow injury was much worse as far as that goes,” Paula said. “We’ll have to take it day by day.”

Paula added that because John must stay on the orthopedic floor he is not in a private room and every square inch of surface is covered with cards and flowers.

“People have been wonderful and the outpouring has been fantastic,” she said. “But it would be better to wait until he got home and was recovering. That would mean a lot to him.”

Campbell is the leading trophy and money-winning driver in Breeders Crown history with 41 titles and $17 million. He had mounts in each of the eight finals, with three favorites in Artzina, Pampered Princess and Glidemaster. Those mounts will now go to Jack Moiseyev, Brian Sears and George Brennan, respectively.