10,000 Wins For Hennessey

Maritime legend Wally Hennessey capped a driving grand slam on Wednesday night (Jan. 23) at Pompano Park with a milestone win, teaming up with Amante Standardbred Inc.'s Prince Of Fame ($3.40) to capture the 10,000th driving win of his career.

Hennessey, a native of Charlottetown, PEI, floated the Mickey McNichol-trained Prince Of Fame to clear the lead with just over a circuit to go in the evening's finale, a $4,500 conditioned trot. The six-year-old Crazed gelding turned aside mild pressure from My Revenuer (Andy Santeramo) before edging away comfortably in upper stretch to a 1:57.2 win.

A winner of over $66 million in purses, Hennessey departed the Maritimes for the Sunshine State in 1986 before going on to enjoy sustained success with trotting dynamo Moni Maker. The 62-year-old reinsman was enshrined into the U.S. Harness Racing Hall of Fame in 2007 and the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame in 2014.

Wally Hennessey was greeted by Racing Secretary Joe Frasure and a large contingency of fans and horsemen upon achieving his 10,000th lifetime win on Wednesday night at Pompano Park

Hennessey’s 10,000 milestone is a feat that only 16 other drivers have accomplished. He is currently sporting a lofty .550 UDR during the current Pompano meet, is averaging three-plus wins per card, and is showing no signs of slowing down over the sunny south Florida oval. Last season, Hennessey racked up 382 wins, second only to his 1995 total of 419 victories.

In reflecting on his milestone achievement, Hennessey, in a post race interview, lamented, "I have been around for many years and am lucky to have stayed competitive all these years. It certainly doesn't get any easier with the talent around these days, but that's why it's necessary to work harder than ever to retain your sharpness."

Hennessey fondly remembers the early days on Eustis Street in Charlottetown becoming enamored with the sport that has been his life work.

"I have a picture of myself at age 10 holding the head of a horse driven by my dad and it's a constant reminder of what a great influence he was on my career. I have been lucky to have driven some really great horses over the years, including, of course, Moni Maker."

Hennessey has won some of the sport's most prestigious races, including the Woodrow Wilson at the Meadowlands Racetrack and countless stakes events here and overseas.

When asked about his future goals, Hennessey remarked, "This is a sport that is a one-step-at-a-time sport. Having said that, my next goal is win number 10,001. Then, hopefully, I'll go on from there.”

Hennessey has enriched the owners of horses he has driven by over $66 million and joins Dave Palone, Tony Morgan, Herve Filion, Cat Manzi, David Miller, Dave Magee, Billy Parker, Walter Case Jr., Aaron Merriman, Tim Tetrick, John Campbell, Mike Lachance, Kevin Wallis, Peter Wrenn, George Brennan and Brian Sears in the exclusive 10,000 win club.

"Nothing will change," Hennessey added. "I'll be at the barn early tomorrow morning and close up late at night. Yes, nothing will change!"

(With files from Pompano Park)