Chapman, John J.
Harness racing
b. Nov. 25, 1928, Toronto, ONT
d. May 2, 1980
A hockey player as a teen-ager, Chapman began training and driving harness horses in 1947. He was among the top twenty-five drivers for nine consecutive years, from 1949 through 1957. Chapman then became a trainer-driver for Alwood Stable, where he developed Merrie Annabelle, who in 1958 was the first two-year-old filly ever to do a 2-minute mile.
The stable was destroyed in a 1962 fire and Chapman went back into public training and back into the list of top drivers, averaging well over 100 victories a year, with a peak of 190 in 1966. He ranks 19th all-time with 3,915 career wins and 21st with $21,359,746 in winnings.