Hall of Fame

A highly successful manufacturer of pet foods, Clarence Gaines became a harness horse enthusiast in 1943. He established the renowned Gainesway Farm, where he bred two Hambletonian winners in a row: Kerry Way (1966) and Speedy Streak (1967). A prime mover in the establishment of Vernon Downs track in upstate New York, he also contributed a number of innovations to the sport, most significantly the plastic sulky wheel disc which greatly improved racing safety. Gaines was a member of many prominent racing organizations, including the Trotting Horse Club of America, the Lexington Trots Breeders Association and The Hambletonian Society. A trustee of The Trotting Horse Museum/Hall of Fame of the Trotter, now known as the Harness Racing Museum & Hall of Fame, Clarence Gaines was inducted into the Living Hall of Fame in 1980. He died in 1985.

Published in the Harness Racing Museum's 1994 book, The Immortals