Kim Crawford

Kim Lee Crawford (T-D)
Stillwater, NY
Birthplace: Bennington, VT
Birthdate: 10/28/54

Kim loves hunting and fishing, and his competitive nature is ideally suited to the sport of harness racing. Outdoorsman Kim Crawford has horseman bloodlines and grew up in a family rich in the tradition of harness racing. He began driving at fairs at age 14 and drove his first pari-mutuel race at Saratoga in 1971, a year before graduating from high school. Kim raced the new England circuit before settling at Saratoga in 1976, and received the Johnny Page award for best young driver the very next year (’77). He has consistently been on or near the top of the drivers’ standings ever since.

Some of Crawford’s accomplishments over the past few years include winning the overall dash four times since 1982. In 1988, Kim finished second in the driver standings with 192 wins and a UDR. Of .284, earning $384,203 in purses. He set a National Season’s Record in a New York Sire Stake event July 3rd with Charlie’s Thunder (1:56.3, 3y.o. pg) and finished second in three 1990 series finals (The Bonfare, USAir and the Parker). In 1991, Saratoga’s only five-time Horseman of the (1982, 1985, 1989, 1990, 1991) scored win #3,000 behind Flickering Light.

Even though Kim missed a couple of weeks of the 1993 season because of an injury suffered in an on-track accident, he earned over $730,000 in purses during the year, eclipsing his previous career best by almost $200,000. Kim scored one of the most prestigious wins of his career when he reined two-year-old trotter, Incredible Abe, to victory in the $200,000 NYSS Final at Yonkers Raceway.

Kim was a respectable second in the driver standings to Frank Coppola, Jr. with 196 wins, scoring victories in Finals of the Cristaldi, New York Lottery and Howard Parker Memorial Pacing Series. His win in 1:54.1 behind Michael’s All Star in the Lottery Final stood as the fastest mile ever recorded at Saratoga Raceway at the time. Michael’s All Star still holds the 8-year-old (1:55) Horse record for 1992; 9-year-old (1:54.1) for 1993.Kim won his 4,000th win Friday, October 14, 2005 on a horse named Vytis, going on to win 4 races that evening.

Kim left Saratoga in the late 90’s to race at Vernon, and later became Track Superintendent at Vernon Downs. Kim was a USTA rep for District 8. Since returning to Saratoga, he has been concentrating most of his time in driving and has been in the top 15 on the drivers list.

Kim had a great 2011 season, finishing 9th in the driver standings, winning 3-Year-Old Trotter of the Year with Linda Goldstein and topping the title of 2011 Horseman of the Year, voted on by the Saratoga Casino and Raceway and Saratoga Harness Hall of Fame at the Annual Awards Dinner Ceremony at the Holiday Inn in Saratoga Springs NY.

Kim was inducted into the Saratoga Harness Hall of Fame on June 9, 2009.