John P. Campo, Sr. (February 24, 1938 - November 14, 2005) was an American

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are ...

racehorse trainer A horse trainer is a person who tends to horses and teaches them different disciplines. Some of the responsibilities trainers have are caring for the animals' physical needs, as well as teaching them submissive behaviors and/or coaching them for e ...

. Campo was born in East Harlem, New York and raised in

Ozone Park, Queens Ozone Park is a neighborhood in the southwestern section of the New York City borough of Queens, New York, United States. It is next to the Aqueduct Racetrack in South Ozone Park, a popular spot for Thoroughbred racing and home to the Resorts W ...

. He is best known as the trainer of 1981 Kentucky Derby and

Preakness Stakes The Preakness Stakes is an American thoroughbred horse race held on Armed Forces Day which is also the third Saturday in May each year at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a Grade I race run over a distance of 9.5 furlongs () o ...

winner

Pleasant Colony Pleasant Colony (May 4, 1978 – December 31, 2002) was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 1981 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes and was named the 1981 American Champion Three-Year-Old. Background A big, gangly horse stan ...

. Among his other notable horses, John Campo conditioned both of 1973's 2-year-old Eclipse Award winners, the Champion 2-Year-Old Filly Talking Picture, the exceptional Jim French, and Champion 2-Year-Old Colt, Protagonist. In January 1986, Campo suffered a devastating loss when thirty-six of his thirty-eight horses died when a fire swept through his racetrack barn at Belmont Park. After suffering a stroke, John Campo retired in 1996. During his thirty years training horses he saddled 1,431 winners from 12,826 starters. He was living in

Hewlett, New York Hewlett is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, on Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 6,819 at the 2010 census. Hewlett is usually included as one of the Five Towns in th ...

on Long Island when he died in 2005. He is buried at Pinelawn Memorial Park in

Farmingdale, New York Farmingdale is an incorporated village on Long Island within the Town of Oyster Bay in Nassau County, New York. The population was 8,189 as of the 2010 Census. The Lenox Hills neighborhood is adjacent to Bethpage State Park and the rest of the ...

on Long Island. His son, Paul J. Campo, is the racing secretary for the

New York Racing Association The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) is the not-for-profit corporation that operates the three largest Thoroughbred horse racing tracks in the state of New York, United States: Aqueduct Racetrack in South Ozone Park, Queens; Belmont Park i ...

. John P. Campo Jr. followed in his father's footsteps and is also a trainer.

References

2003 Churchill Downs story on trainer John Campo

John P. Campo, Sr.'s obituary at Bloodhorse.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Campo 1938 births 2005 deaths American horse trainers People from Hewlett, New York People from Ozone Park, Queens People from East Harlem