Thomas L. Smith is back
5'15'08 By Kenneth W. Terpenning for KyHarnessRacing.com

    Thomas L. Smith, 40, a long time Kentucky trainer
    and resident and 2006 Leading Trainer at the Red
    Mile is now ranked 31st  in the country for 2008 in
    wins with a record of  204 starts, 49 wins, 33
    seconds, 25 thirds and a UTR of .371.

    Mr. Smith added four more wins to his total this past
    weekend, opening weekend at Scioto Downs. Mr.
    Smith is currently tied with Virgil Morgan, Jr. for top
    honors in the trainer standings with four wins apiece.
    All this comes on the heels of Mr. Smith claiming top
    trainer honors for the Lebanon Raceway Spring Meet
    that concluded on May 3rd.

    Among the four wins this weekend for the Smith
    Stables were Cobrador Kosmos who won for the
    second straight week and his third win in four starts,
    Camwes, C L Auspicious and Soul Patrol who won his
    second in a row winning Saturday’s featured Open II
    for owner Billie Jo Raleigh of Eubank, KY. Mr. Smith’s
    stable is scheduled to compete at Scioto Downs and
    Hoosier Park from May to July before returning to the
    Red Mile to attempt to reclaim his training title lost to
    Brian Loney in 2007 in Mr. Smith’s absence.

    A highlight to the Smith stable has been the
    successful return of CL Auspicious, 8, 1:56.4, out of
    Piper’s Song and Shannon Bunny by Trenton.
    “Auspicious” returned from a fractured pelvis
    suffered last May in a fall at Hoosier Park. Mr. Smith
    told us, “It was a freak accident…we did not know if
    he would ever race again. We turned him out to heal
    and he found himself again out there and showed us
    he was ready to go so we started back slowly to see
    how he would do.”

    Since returning to the races, CL Auspicious has fired
    off 10 starts without one wince of discomfort and
    has won 5 of those starts and finished third once. He
    has also risen in class from $3,000 claimers to
    $4.000 claimers and raced competitively. The win this
    past Saturday was a new lifetime mark for
    “Auspicious” in 1:56.4 as he cruised to victory, in his
    debut at Scioto for the 2008 season, winning by two
    plus lengths under wraps by driver Jeff Nisonger.