Odds On Racing - Harness Racing

Windsong Legacy: Notes & Numbers
October 26, 2004
By Bob "Hollywood" Heyden

Though not in the 2004 Breeders Crown, the very likely choice for 2004 Horse Of The Year is Triple Crown-winning Windsongs Legacy. Here's a look at his year-his career-and the numbers and how they stack up against some of historys best.

Trond Smedshammer-through mid-October, Trond had $2.6 million on his card as a driver, thanks mainly to Windsongs Legacy. The biggest driving season PRIOR to 2004 for Trond was $925,651 in 2002.

It was 32 YEARS since the last Triple Crown winner-1972-Super Bowl-but the first six Triple Crown winners did it in an 18 Years span-1955-1972.

ALL SEVEN Trotting Triple Crown winners were driven and trained by the SAME person-and Trond Smedshammer-at 37 (3/20/67)-is the youngest to accomplish this.

The LAST Triple Crown winner to also be driven and trained by the same man-PACER-was Niatross-1980-Clint Galbraith.

Sire Conway Hall was 2nd in the 1998 Kentucky Futurity, the closest he got to winning a Triple Crown event. He was 4th in the Hambletonian that year won by Muscles Yankee. Sire Conway Hall moved to NY in 2002.

Trond Smedshammner won BOTH Futurities in Kentucky this year-Housethatruthbuilt the other winner. It had been done four other times.

Only three times in the last quarter century had the same trainer won BOTH 3 YO divisions-something that Trond will very likely do this year in the sophomore trotting category.
1980-Billy Haughton-Kading-Final Score
1988-Jan Johnson-Nans Catch-Armbro Goal
1993-Chuck Sylvester-Winkys Goal-Pine Chip

Windsongs Legacy won all 6 finals he was in this year-NO trotter had ever won all six prior.
His seasonal record of 9 wins in 12 starts is the same as 1996 Horse of The Year Continentalvictory.

His 12 starts this year (12 9-2-1) are the FEWEST starts for a Male Horse Of The Year---EVER!!

His 9 wins are the fewest wins for a Male Horse Of The Year in 40 YEARS!! Not since 1962-Su Mac Lad-did a Male Horse of The Year win fewer times 13 7-3-0

Windsongs Legacy broke the mold this year. Prior to 2004, the Last three colt trotters to be named Horse Of The Year all did so exactly 10 YEARS apart:
1977-Green Speed
1987-Mack Lobell
1997-Malabar Man.

The last two trotting colts to be HOY were both 13-16 on the year-1997-Malabar Man and Mack Lobell in 1987.

Conway Hall was the 1997 easy choice for 2 YO Trotting Colt of the year-Here's the balloting:
1997-Freshman Trotting Colt Of The Year:
105 votes-Conway Hall
52 votes-Buzzin Brian
43 votes-Harrys Bar
40 votes-Muscles Yankee

In 1998, Muscles Yankee was going for the Triple Crown and HOY title in the Kentucky Futurity. But it was not to be, as Trade Balance disrupted his party. But Conway Hall also finished in front of Muscles that day-second to David Wade and his winning son of Balanced Image.

Windsongs Legacy retires with a career slate of 17 10-2-4. He made only $30,838 as a freshman to hike his career $$ to $1,744,644. How does that compare start wise to a couple of other notable trotters?
Armbro Goal 18 13-1-1
Valley Victory 14 11-1-0

Windsongs Legacy has set the new $$ standard for one season trotters in 2004. Malabar Man had held it at $1,679.862 in 1997-and not coincidentally-was the last trotting colt named HOY.

-30-