Harness: Smedshammer still Hambletonian dreamin'

It’s been 22 years since Trond Smedshammer captured the Hambletonian with Windsong’s Legacy and the veteran trainer-driver is still more motivated than ever to return to the sport’s biggest event. Now with a limited stable, Smedshammer has managed to carefully bring along his horses to the point that they are potentially good enough to compete on the biggest stage.

“It’s what gets me up in the morning,” said Smedshammer, describing the dream of a Hambletonian or Hambletonian Oaks winner.

What’s interesting about Smedshammer’s dream is that in many ways it falls in line with the Triple Crown winner Windsong’s Legacy, who through his son Chapter Seven and grandson Walner, has crafted a stallion line that is the envy of all in the standardbred business.

So it wasn’t exactly by accident that Smedshammer’s 14-horse ensemble managed a pair of stakes victories over the Memorial Day weekend. Last year’s Hambletonian Oaks runner-up Walspea took a division of the Miss Versatility at The Meadowlands on a cold, rainy Saturday night (May 23) and then lightly-raced sophomore Sevenato provided the upset going from last to first to capture the opening leg of the New York Sire Stakes for 3-year-old colts and geldings at Vernon Downs on the Monday holiday program.

Smedshammer had been down to drive Walspea, as he had when he guided her from post eight to the top in the $500,000 Oaks last August and led until the final stages of the race. “It was a bad night on Saturday at The Meadowlands and I’ve been having back issues,” said Smedshammer, who notified the Big M Judges and they allowed him to put Yannick Gingras up to guide the 4-year-old by Walner.

“Yannick had driven her last year,” said Smedshammer.

Even with Gingras in the sulky, Walspea was dismissed at the windows, going off the fourth choice in a field of five mares and romping to a 1:53 score at the expense of Bravo Angel S, the 3-5 public choice.

Walspea had raced just once entering the Miss Versatility and was racing against older horses, but Gingras put her in a good spot and she could be in for a big season.

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“In some ways she reminds me of Jiggy Jog,” said Smedshammer, quickly trying not to put Walspea in the exact category. “I’m not saying she has the speed of Jiggy Jog, only that Walspea started to figure things out more from 2 to 3 and now she seems to have put it together better from 3 to 4.”

Smedshammer felt that Jiggy Jog was good as a 2-year-old but would prove to be a better racehorse as she matured and Walspea’s maturity could help her transition to greater heights this year. In just her second start Walspea equaled her 1:53 career-best clocking in the Miss Versatility and that came over a rain-soaked surface, so troubling that some top conditioners would not race over it.

“She’s got the Graduate but I’m not taking her to Mohawk,” said Smedshammer. “She’ll stay here (The Meadowlands) for the Graduate.”

Down the line Smedshammer is hoping that Walspea’s talent could emerge, just not necessarily on the big track. “I think there are a lot of mares that may be better than her on the mile track, but I think she stands out as a horse that is extremely quick and can handle the smaller tracks,” said Smedshammer. “I’m really looking forward to racing her in the Breeders Crown at Scioto.”

Unlike Walspea, Sevenato is a work-in-progress and some of that effort began to payoff for Smedshammer and his connections on Monday when the gelded son of Chapter Seven passed four rivals to capture the initial $58,000 Sire Stakes event at Vernon, breaking his maiden and winning in 1:54.

“He got sore on me last year and had an issue with a right knee and a splint,” said Smedshammer of Sevenato, a $130K yearling purchase from the same immediate family as Maryland.

Sevenato did show ability as a freshman and that’s why he is back this year and is a Hambletonian eligible. Whether he will become a contender or even get entered in the $1 million race in August is up in the air, but Smedshammer wouldn’t rule out the possibility yet.

“He’s only had four starts and never gone this speed before,” said Smedshammer, who admits he doesn’t train his horses fast miles before qualifying them.

In the case of Sevenato, Monday’s victory came with trotting hopples as the conditioner had become frustrated in the previous starts.

“He raced well in his first start at Chester,” said Smedshammer of the second-place finish on April 16 after cutting the mile. “Then in his second start he was trying to make a break the whole second half and he finally did.”

Hoping to get Sevenato going in the right direction he was entered on May 8 at The Meadowlands. “I moved him to the outside just so I could control his speed,” said Smedshammer, not wishing to get jammed up along the inside. “The whole stretch he was looking to make a break and I had to hold on to him.”

The result was a second-place finish that would lead to the significant equipment change prior to his stakes debut.

Even with the hopples, Smedshammer was not aggressive in the Sire Stakes and instead sat while others forced a quick pace. Sevenato knew what to do when called upon and quickly circled the field in mid-stretch.

There is still much room for improvement and some concern. “I’m not sure how he is going to do on the smaller tracks,” said Smedshammer, keenly aware that most of the New York Sire Stakes events come over half-mile tracks. “His next two races come at Tioga and then back at Vernon, so we’ll see how he responds.”

Hambletonian Oaks eligible Chant picked up a fourth-place check in the $121,800 New York Sire Stakes at Vernon on Monday, finishing some distance behind Nezuko Kamado S and runner-up Storybook Love.

“That was a good effort for her,” Smedshammer said, “The fillies that finished first and second may be the best two fillies in the country.”

Storybook Love captured last year’s Breeders Crown and Nezuko Kamado S was third, so the trainer may very well be accurate. He’s hoping that Chant may be better suited for the smaller tracks and pick up the pieces when the others are making Grand Circuit appearances.

Smedshammer has another Oaks eligible in Green Maztake who will race for the third time this year on Friday at Harrah’s Philadelphia.

“I’m not sure what the breeder was thinking when he bred his Bold Eagle mare to Greenshoe,” said Smedshammer, half-joking and half-perplexed by the resultant filly he’s conditioning. While producing an abundance of speed is always in the calculus of a trotting breeder, both Greenshoe and Bold Eagle were considered difficult horses to control and that has led in some ways to Smedshammer’s concerns.

“The first start with her she had post seven and there was no horse to her outside,” said Smedshammer of Green Maztake, who made the front easily from the outer draw and then wired the field looking the model of composure.

“In her second start she was fighting me from the start and made a break,” said Smedshammer. “I’ve made some equipment changes, and we’ll see how she does on Friday.”

A majority of his stable are freshmen and he politely reserved comment. “Let’s talk after baby races,” Smedshammer said.

Maybe his next Hambletonian or Oaks winner is in that group.