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happell whenever weather permitted. The work ethic of the Chappell Stable was evident and paying results because he was con— stantly among the elite of top drivers each year on the Island and in the Atlantic region.

Ga

One thing this horseman was very reluc- tant to do and that was to talk about his wins or successes in the racing wars. His first win happened at the C.D.P. when he was 20 driving Devil’s Partner owned by Robert Jorgenson. At age 48, he had achieved over 2,000 victories and he still didn’t like to talk about any of his many Visits to the Winners” Circle.

When asked to name a few of the most memorable horses he had driven, Gary was reluctant perhaps because by omis— sion he would offend an owner or train— er. Gary answered, “I drove a lot of nice horses." However, he did list Boyd MacDonald’s Special Star, Everett Shea's Bold Midnight, Stetson Any Size owned by Lowell Stead and Bob Craswell, Terry Gallant’s Mattcandotoo, and Glenn and Kerry Taylor’s Rosetown Eagle.

The closest thing to his most favorite horse was Mr. Nobody. Gary explained, “Mr. Nobody was an old horse. I always liked him but I don’t know why. We

Behind the Gate

owned him ourselves. He wasn‘t very fast but we liked him a lot." Gary said he would never forget him.

You might think that a driver who has so many lifetime wins would have one that stands out above the rest. Not this team— ster. As Gary explained, "They’ re all the same; you go out each time to win.” He was very competitive and really enjoyed winning and a visit to Victory Lane with a low claimer or a free—for—all horse. Perhaps that’s the way it should be.

This driver/trainer had a strong opinion on the subject of the passing lane still used at the C.D.P. and a few other small- er tracks. He stated emphatically, “I don’t like the passing lane. Some horses do all the work in a race and the passing lane often permits the horse getting the gar- den two—hole trip to reap the benefits in the stretch. It doesn’t seem fair. Perhaps the passing lane time has come and gone here and elsewhere." Gary also had strong feelings on the subject of more rather than less live racing and he was concerned when the purse structure seemed to be on the decrease.

Contrary to What his exterior may have revealed, Gary was a very competitive person. He said, “I like the racing part of

“I like the racing part of the game. I lilee to compete and I ltlee to win. I really get up for a race day. It is much differentfrorn other days. ”

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