Monica Banca is living her dream

by Victoria Howard

Monica Banca was born in Norway, “the land of the midnight sun,” a place that is far away from where she resides today — New York.

Harness racing is quite popular in Norway and is governed by the Norwegian Trotting Association, including both trotting and galloping races.

Throughout the years, horse racing in Norway has evolved with the establishment of dedicated racetracks and breeding programs. The country has produced several renowned harness trainers and drivers, notably Gunnar Eggen, a prominent Norwegian harness racing trainer/driver, who dominated the sport during the late 20th century.

And there’s Trygve Diskerud, a Norwegian trainer who was widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in Norwegian trotting. His career spanned several decades before he hung his colors up.

Several racehorses in Norway were Spikeld and Rex Rodney who achieved significant success in the sport. Spikeld (1993-2017) was a Norwegian trotting horse, trained by Kjell Hakonsen, that set a best time for a 7-year-old with a kilometer time of 1:18.6. Rex Rodney was a celebrated Norwegian trotter known for his remarkable racing career, dominating tracks from 1983 to 1991, including the prestigious Elitlopp in Sweden in 1986.

Although Banca’s family was not involved in the sport, her father, Tor Eriksen was very good friends with a standardbred horse trainer/driver in Norway.

Banca was enamored with the athletic animal and decided to pursue a career working with horses. She first got a job working for trainer Jomar Blekkan who taught the young girl the ropes and an opportunity to learn all about standardbreds.

“Jomar taught me a lot and trusted me, giving a young girl a lot of opportunities,” she said. “I owe him a lot for he was a major factor in my pursuing a career in the sport.”

In 1991 Banca relocated to the States and got a job with renowned trainer Trond Smedshammer, a fellow Norwegian.

Smedshammer is certainly no stranger to harness racing. He was born in Gjovik, Norway, a place known for its rich equestrian culture and moved to the United States in the early 1990s. It didn’t take the young Norwegian to make a big name for himself as he has won both the Hambletonian and Hambletonian Oaks—-one of only 12 trainers to accomplish that feat.

Monica worked for Smedshammer for four years and then worked for trainer Thomas Maibashka and Robert Silverman, among others.

“When I worked for Trond, he taught me so much,” Banca said. “He is very knowledgeable, a great teacher and a very nice man.

“Eventually, I got married and had two children, Emily and Richard. In 2020, COVID hit and the world pretty much came to a halt, hindering our sport as well as everything else.”

In 2021 Banca decided to take a chance and went all in and started her own stable.

“From the years 2013 through 2023, I was active driving in the amateur races,” she said. “Presently, I have my own stable of five horses and I race mainly in Monticello. Four of them are owned by me and the fifth is owned by my daughter.

“My favorite and fastest horse is American Primetime. From 2014 through 2019 I took care of him and traveled around the country. He was a great horse who earned almost $900,000 and took a lifetime mark of 1:49.”

Banca said she has great respect for other women in this sport with one name especially standing out to her.

“It would have to be Lauren Tritton,” Banca said. “She is tough, fearless, and just an amazing horsewoman who throws herself all in to compete against the top drivers in the business.”

Banca said she understands that our sport is not just about happy times, especially when you consider the recent devastating barn fire at Saratoga.

“There are a lot of barns that are old and in desperate need of rebuilding or modified,” she said. “Every barn at every track should have fire alarms, fire extinguishers, and stricter enforcement of no smoking in the barns.

“These horses are our family and to many of us they are our livelihood. We need to protect them the best we can and be their voice because they cannot speak on their own.”

As for Banca’s plans for the future, she said, “I was raised that working hard and doing the right thing will pay off and I still believe that. I taught my daughter the same thing. I do everything on my own as I am the trainer, [sometimes driver], groom, and owner.

“I have been living my dream ever since then and am thankful for every minute. I mean, how many people get to do what they love every day, work with horses, and make a living?”