Odds On Racing - Harness Racing

Those accomplishments have seen the son of Conway Hall earn $1,528,344 to date (October 1, 2004). In addition he captured the $382,000 Stanley Dancer Final, the $235,571 Goodtimes Final this season.

Windsong's Legacy began his career in non-descript fashion, finishing third in his first pari-mutuel outing at Lexington. He earned $30,838 at two, and had a 1-0-3 record from five starts. He did win the $29,000 Kentucky Sires Stakes Consolation, and was third in the $82,150 Bluegrass, both at the Red Mile.

This season Windsong's Legacy has finished on the board in all ten starts, winning seven, with a pair of seconds and a third to his credit. He is trained and driven by Norwegian native Trond Smedshammer, 37, who came to the USA in 1987 and went to work for countryman Per Henriksen. He stayed here for sixth months before returning to Norway to continue training horses, but was soon back in America, this time working for Lindy Farms.

In 1992 Smedshammer opened his own stable at White Birch Farm in Allentown, New Jersey and since that time has trained a number of Hambletonian starters, including Bowlin For Dollars who vied in the classic race in 1997, finishing fourth to Malabar Man. He also conditioned 2003 Hambletonian favorite Power To Charm, who finished fifth in the final.

Harness Racing's Newest Millionaire
Windsong’s Legacy became harness racing’s newest millionaire by capturing the $391,200 Yonkers Trot at Hawthorne on August 28. The win pushed his career earnings to $1,071,924 and was his sixth from eight starts up to that time in 2004 and the seventh of his career. The winning time of 1:53.1 was also a new track record for three-year-old trotters at the Stickney oval.

"I was confident," Smedshammer said afterward. "The race went pretty much the way I thought it would. I knew that Tom Ridge would be on the lead. It didn’t matter if we were sitting second or third. Tom Ridge was going easily but this horse is awfully strong at the end of the mile.

"Obviously, you never know until you cross the wire but it went pretty much as I expected," Smedshammer said. "I didn’t want to take a chance on the tight turns here, as he’s used to racing at the Meadowlands."

The win was the second in the Triple Crown series for three-year-old trotting colts. Windsong’s Legacy captured the first leg of the series by winning the $1 million Hambletonian at the Meadowlands on August 7.

The last horse to capture trotting’s Triple Crown was Super Bowl, who took the series for trainer-driver Stanley Dancer in 1972. Both are in harness racing’s national Hall Of Fame.

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