Allan “Earl” Smith was born in Hunter River, PEI on June 28, 1949. Earl’s mother, Wanda Bernard, had 12 siblings, two of who, Emmett and Jack, were deeply involved in the sport of harness racing. Emmett was one of the stronger personalities in the game in the 1950s and 1960s, and would play a pivotal role in Earl’s career.

As many kids in that era grew up playing hockey and baseball, for Earl it was all about the horses, at least that is what his mother said. Like most of Hunter River post World War 2, the Smiths had a couple of horses around, as a hobby. Earl was always at his father’s side or on his knee jogging and training horses on the sides of the rural roads, in central Queen’s County.

Earl opened a public stable at the CDP in 1968 as an 18 year old. He said he was lucky enough to get a few horses to start from some prominent owners at the time; Bobby Campbell, Bob Dawson, and Dr. Preston MacIntyre. He also bought his first horse in partnership with Leo Peters, Dudley’s Ace, for $900. His first official drive came on a horse called Bonny Brook C, where he finished in 4th place. Earl’s first win, of almost 2700 driving victories, came in June 1968 with Garth’s Best in a time of 2:12, at the Summerside Raceway.

He operated his stable in Charlottetown through the 1970s, made up of mainly older-aged horses, at times finding it a challenge to have a lot of success as a younger trainer-driver in the competitive Island harness racing industry. Brackley’s Ada gave Earl his first Stakes race win in 1974. He began to be recognized by many as an up and coming young talent. In 1976 Earl captured the McDonald’s Maritime Driving Championship held at the CDP.

With the CDP closed for the winters during the 1970s and 1980s, and the SRW racing for poor purse money at the time (to paraphrase Earl), he decided to set up a winter stable at Exhibition Park Raceway (EPR) in Saint John, NB. He raced 6-10, overnighters and aged horses at EPR, while training the younger ones at the CDP. He traveled back and forth for the Wednesday night and Saturday racing. He operated this stable for three winter seasons gaining lots of experience and respect in the sport. Earl would lead the CDP in driving victories in 1979 and 1980, and was amongst the leading drivers at EPR as well.

With a young family at home in Hunter River, Earl decided to remain closer to home in the winter months. Sackville Downs, outside Halifax, was racing for big purses in the winters, so he opened a stable there for the next three winter racing seasons, until it closed in 1986. He returned to Blue Bonnets for the winter racing in 1986-87 and 1988-89.

By the mid-80s Earl was having more success with Stakes horses, and had his first Atlantic champion in 1984, with the colt, RE’s Express. Also in 1985, Earl had the veteran 14 year old pacer, Graduate Boy, racing out of his stable. The Stu McClure owned pacer dominated the aged horse claiming ranks in the Maritimes, winning 32 races that year, and being crowned the winningest horse in North America in 1985.

For the next four decades, Earl established a reputation the harness racing world, as one of top Stakes race trainer/drivers on the Canadian East Coast. With the Stakes season in the Maritimes being the summer and fall months, it meant winters would focus on training the babies. Since that decision to go all in on the Colt Stakes circuit, the Earl Smith stables have captured every major Stakes race in Atlantic Canada, some on multiple occasions including the Atlantic Sire Stakes, PEI Colt Stakes, Dairy Queen Futurity, Atlantic Breeders Crown, Duck Acorn Stakes, Anne Shirley Stakes, Lady Slipper Stakes, Joe O’Brien Stakes, Ruffin Barrieu Memorial, Francis MacIsaac Memorial Stakes, Williamson memorial, Bill Quigg Stakes, Donnie Turner Memorial, and The Maritimer.

Earl’s most notable win would be his victory in the 2008 Gold Cup and Saucer, where he won with Pownal Bay Matt, who he trained himself, from the 8 hole. 

Smith boasted career stats of 2,682 driving wins with more than $4.5 million in earnings, and training stats of 817 wins with over $2.6 million in earnings. 

Earl Smith was inducted into the P.E.I Sports Hall Of Fame on August 12th, 2022, sadly passing 2 weeks before he was to be inducted. 

(Courtesy of P.E.I. Sports Hall Of Fame and Standardbred Canada)