Trond Smedshammer knew Riccolo was undefeated, but still had questions as he targeted the three-year-old gelding trotter for the Hambletonian.

In winning last week’s three-year-old Open at Meadowlands Racetrack, Riccolo gave the trainer the answers he wanted.

Riccolo is among two trotters from the Smedshammer Stable entered in Saturday’s Hambletonian eliminations at the Meadowlands. The top three finishers from each elimination division plus the fourth-place finisher with highest lifetime earnings will advance to the $1.5 million Hambletonian final on August 4 at the Meadowlands. CBS Sports Network will air the Hambletonian final from 3:30 p. to 5 p.m.

Riccolo is a relative newcomer in Smedshammer’s barn. He raced in Chicago, where he won all eight of his starts at Balmoral Park this season, before being sold to Norwegian interests in early July. He has earned $80,680 this year.

Last Saturday, Riccolo won by three lengths over Market Share in 1:54.2 at the Meadowlands with Smedshammer in the sulky. The clocking equaled the best win time of his career; a mark he first set in his previous start on July 1 at Balmoral while racing in the stable of trainer Nelson “Spider” Willis.

“Even when a horse goes eight-for-eight, when he comes from a different trainer and different state and different track there are still a lot of question marks,” said Smedshammer, who won the 2004 Hambletonian with Windsongs Legacy. “You want to race him yourself and see how he goes. He was good in every way. I thought he gave us the answers we needed to go forward.”

Riccolo was bred by Walter and Paige Paisley. Walter Paisley, also known by the nickname “Butch,” in 1959 was the youngest driver at the age of 18 to ever compete in the Hambletonian. He drove Algiers Eblis, a horse owned by his father, to a 13th-place finish in the summary. Paisley went on to claim numerous driving titles in Chicago and on April 25 drove Riccolo to his first victory of this year, giving Paisley victory No. 5,718 in his career.

A son of Northern Kid out of the mare Touch Of Victory, Riccolo won one of three races last year. His wins this season were primarily in stakes for Illinois conceived and foaled horses. He was sold to Torkel and Randi Alendal of Norway on July 6, reportedly for a six-figure price.

“He came here eight-for-eight, so we knew the horse had some potential,” Smedshammer said. “It was almost three weeks from his last start and he probably needed that start [at the Meadowlands]. I thought he did very well.

“He’s a big, good-looking horse. He’s got the tools it seems like. He hasn’t been in [1]:51 or [1]:52 yet, but I think he’ll go there when he needs to. He’s a good horse.”

If Riccolo advances to the Hambletonian final, top Swedish driver Bjorn Goop is expected to drive the horse in the race because of his connection to the new owners.

Smedshammer’s other Hambletonian contender is Solvato, who has one win in five starts this year, primarily on the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes circuit. Owned by Purple Haze Stables, the colt has three wins in eight career races and $104,165 in purses.

“He’s been pretty good in Pennsylvania all year,” Smedshammer said. “His style of racing, the Meadowlands is probably going to suit him better than Pocono. He’s a horse that does his racing at the end of the mile and it’s sometimes tough to reach from back at Pocono. He’s a nice horse that with the right kind of trip can be in the mix.”

Smedshammer believes this year’s Hambletonian is a wide-open race.

“That’s probably why we ended up with 25 entries,” he said. “I don’t think there’s any horse that is unbeatable. It’s whoever gets the best trip and is best that day. [Mine] won’t embarrass themselves. I think they’ve got a decent chance to go forward and make the final.”

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This story courtesy of Harness Racing Communications, a division of the U.S. Trotting Association. For more information, visit www.ustrotting.com.