Smart, Wayne (Thurman Wayne)
Harness Racing
b. Aug. 29, 1904, Ostrander, OH
d. Nov. 14, 1976
"Curly," as his fellow drivers called him, was a seven-time leader in the Universal Driver Rating System, which uses a formula based on starts, wins, places, and shows. Smart ranked first among those with 300 or starts in 1952, 1953, and 1955; among those with 200 to 299 starts from 1958 through 1960; and among those with fewer than 200 starts in 1962.
The top driver at six different tracks at various times in his career, Smart won the Little Brown Jug twice, with Ensign Hanover in 1946 and with Meadow Race in 1952. His richest win was with Gold Worth in the $75,000 American Classic in 1958.
He won 1,873 heats and had total earnings of more than $2.5 million. In 1968, he became a track superintendent but continued to train some horses and drive occasionally until his death.