Madison, WI — Jay Garrels has been inducted into the Wisconsin Harness Racing Hall of Fame, class of 2020.

Jay Garrels has been inducted into the Wisconsin Harness Racing Hall of Fame, class of 2020. WHHA photo.

Between eighth grade and his freshman year at Harvard High School, Garrels went to work for horseman Randy Jacobs, baling hay and helping with other farm work. The following year, Jay’s career in harness racing officially began; he started working with the horses at Jacobs’ farm south of Harvard, Ill.

Jay’s first drive at a Wisconsin county fair was on Sept. 7, 1986. He drove Rick’s Duane for his lifelong friend, Chad Wells, also of Harvard. Jay finished 6-6 in a field of 10 at the Richland County fairgrounds.

The following summer Jay became a regular on the Wisconsin fair circuit, picking up catch drives for the Weaver Stables, among others. Jay drove Untidy Tide for the Weavers at several county fairs during the summer of 1987. Throughout the next several years, Jay picked up many catch drives. He was known as a driver who could handle pullers and other tough horses, such as Jim Manning’s Keith K and Buck Weaver’s Doctor Dunbar.

As a driver and trainer, Jay has accumulated some impressive statistics. He has earned more than $650,000 as a trainer, with top three finishers in 44 percent of his 1,274 starts.

Most recently, Jay co-owned and trained Perch, who has a record of 1:51.1 and earnings of more than $100,000. Perch won the 2019 Illinois State Fair Championship for 3-year old fillies, while taking her current lifetime mark. Perch also raced twice on the Night of Champions in Illinois, finishing third as a 2-year old and fourth as a 3-year old.

Jay’s accomplishments as a driver, especially on the county fair circuit, are just as impressive as his accomplishments as a trainer. In 3,800 starts, Jay has finished in the top three in 49 percent of his drives, with 691 wins, 657 seconds, and 518 thirds. He’s earned almost $1.3 million as a driver.

Jay’s success as a catch driver led to seven Wisconsin Driver of the Year titles, which places him second on the all-time list of top drivers in Wisconsin. In addition, Jay has been in the Top Ten Driving Club 17 years, which is third on the all-time list behind two fellow Wisconsin Hall of Fame members. He co-holds the record for the most wins in a single day at six. He achieved this distinction three times, in 1994, 2002, and 2011.

Congratulations to Jay Garrels on his induction into the Wisconsin Harness Racing Hall of Fame, class of 2020.