ted wing
One of eight siblings, Ted Wing was born in 1948 in Greenville, Maine, to Morris and Emily Wing. Wing’s grandfather Harold raced in Maine before the turn of the last century. His father Morris also trained and raced on the Maine circuit.
Despite losing an eye in an accident as a toddler, Wing was an Olympic-caliber skier who competed against some of the biggest names in slalom and downhill, but he would choose harness racing as his profession.
When Wing was 16 his parents dropped him off at the Presque Isle fairgrounds in northern Maine, where he would spend the next two months living in a tack room and racing two horses. From his first win at the Skowhegan Fair, Wing had a knack for visiting the winner’s circle and gained a reputation for giving his horses all the care they needed.
Despite his youth, Wing quickly became a major force on the New England circuit. At age 21 he was voted the best driver in New England by the NE Standardbred Association. The following year he was the leading percentage driver at both Foxboro and Rockingham. Wing was the leading driver in New England between 1970 and 1975, and at age 26 he became the youngest American-born driver to win 1,000 races.
Joe DeFrank, then race secretary at the Meadowlands, invited Wing to try out the brand-new New Jersey mile oval which had just opened in 1976 to resounding success. Nicknamed “The Major” by Roosevelt Raceway track announcer Jack E. Lee, Wing became a superstar when, in 1978, he finished up the Meadowlands meet with the leading driver trophy. He also would take home driving titles from Yonkers and Roosevelt.
Some of the stars that Wing drove include Kerry Gold p,6,1:53.4 ($383,593) - owned and trained by Wing - who shared a Meadowlands track record, Tarport Hap p,4,1:56.3f ($688,664), Livingston County p,3,1:55.1 ($383,130) - who also held a Meadowlands track record - and Calvert 7,1:57.4 ($526,307). Skip By Night p,5,1:55.3h ($514,132) set a world half-mile track record at Yonkers, and then moved to the Meadowlands for the inaugural World Cup in 1982, completing the all-USA sweep behind Genghis Khan and Beatcha. Wing was also behind Butler B G p,3,1:53.4f ($878,709), winner of the 1984 Prix d’Ete over Pacer of the Year On The Road Again.
In 1986, Ted Wing was elected into the Maine Hall of Fame and is also enshrined in the New England Harness Racing Hall of Fame alongside many of his friendly rivals from the past, including Canadian imports Jim Doherty and Bill O’Donnell.
Wing lived in Montgomery, New York, with his wife Jackie Allen Wing. The couple has two children and four grandchildren.
Ted Wing passed away on September 13, 2022.