Behind the Gate “a 
     
     a horse that I liked and paid for. One 
     
     week before the Robbie Keizer, Estes 
     
     Smith backed his truck in front of my 
     
     barn and unloaded this horse which was 
     
     not the horse I had seen and bought in 
     
     Rockingham. The arrival turned out to be 
     
     King Mike and Billy O’Donnell had 
     
     shown me the wrong horse.” King Milee 
     
     by American Adios would prove to be 
     
     one of the top invitational horses in the 
     
     Maritimes in the early 1970s and the best 
     
     investment Soupie ever made in a horse, 
     
     sight unseen. 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     The Donnie Turner Memorial has always 
     
     been regarded as one of the premier 
     
     stake races for three—year—olds in the 
     
     Maritimes. Since the unfortunate closure 
     
     of Sackville Downs, this lucrative stake 
     
     event has been staged annually at the 
     
     Truro Raceway. It is an event that 
     
     Maritime colt enthusiasts marked on their 
     
     calendar. Soupie was no exception, “I 
     
     won the Donnie Turner with Maple 
     
     Grove 3/3615/011' owned by Donnie 
     
     Livingstone and this may have been my 
     
     most memorable race. A close second 
     
     would have to be my first Gold Cup and 
     
     Saucer with King Mike because every- 
     
     body wants to be in this race." 
     
    
   
   
    
     I asked this trainer/driver/blacksmith to 
     
     mention a few of the changes he had 
     
     noticed in his 45 years in the industry. 
     
     Without hesitation he responded, “The 
     
     hub rail is gone, bikes are faster, harness 
     
     is lighter, wheel-disc is safer, helmets are 
     
     compulsory and more substantial, and 
     
     simulcasting and slots are saving some of 
     
    
   
   
    
     : '<‘ 
     
     . ‘. 
     
     if“: :~ --I 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
        
     
    
   
   
    
     Soupie Campbell 
     
     the smaller tracks from extinction." 
     
     Soupie loved the competitive nature of 
     
     the game because, physically and men— 
     
     tally, it kept you sharp and on your toes. 
     
     What he didn’t like about the game was 
     
     the fact that we are all getting older. 
     
    
   
   
    
     I asked Soupie what he felt were the 
     
     most important things you must do for a 
     
     horse. He answered, "The most impor— 
     
     tant thing is to keep your horse healthy 
     
     and sound. He must be fed properly and 
     
     receive the proper nutrients. He must get 
     
     sufficient exercise and proper grooming. 
     
     I don’t believe in racing a horse three 
     
     times a week because if he has problems 
     
     he doesn't have time to get over them. I 
     
     have reservations about racing horses 
     
     under extreme winter temperatures but 
     
     sometimes you are forced to do it.” He 
     
     suggested that using common sense is 
     
     usually the best thing we can do. 
     
    
   
   
    
     There are many talented youngsters who 
     
     would love a career in harness racing 
     
     perhaps as a trainer, driver, blacksmith or 
     
     some other capacity. This experienced 
     
     and capable horseman who raced exten— 
     
     sively in Canada and the United States 
     
     advised, “Stay out of trouble when you 
     
     are young. Use your intelligence and 
     
     common sense. If you get in trouble 
     
     when you are starting out in this game, it 
     
     could come against you later in life when 
     
     they look at your record. When you are 
     
     young you may say it is only a positive 
     
     test but they all add up.” This is indeed 
     
     sage advice. 
     
    
   
   
    
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