Hennessey Reflects On 10,000 Wins

"When I first came down here, I have to tell you, my first year driving down here I was so intimidated that I wouldn't even dress in the driver's room. I dressed over in the stable area, because I thought it was the who's who of harness racing here and I said 'I'm not worthy to be in that group.'"

How time flies. Recalling how he felt to be the new kid on the block, driver Wally Hennessey is now the king of the castle at Pompano Park and one of harness racing's most accomplished reinsmen. The Canadian-born driver added his name to the elusive list of competitors with 10,000 driving wins this past Wednesday (January 23) by guiding Prince Of Fame to victory at Pompano.

"I kind of knew the last 15, 20, 30 lengths that I was safe, that I was winning. And it was a great feeling then," Hennessey said in a recent interview. "But, you know, your adrenaline is still going, and the first thing I did after the race...Dave Ingraham, Mike Simons, they were in the race with me, and I asked them, I said I'd appreciate if they'd come down to the winner's circle with me, which they did. They were probably going to come anyway...all the guys that came down, I was very appreciative of that. I told them I would take my time coming back, and as I did I had time to reflect on my life in the harness business, and I looked up [skyward] at mom and dad."

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.

"So to be sitting here after all these years, I've had a lot of friends that I've competed against...it's hard when you're competing against people and we're all trying to make a living at it."

Hennessey did admit to Pompano's John Berry and Gabe Prewitt that the countdown to the 10,000 win milestone was starting to lose its lustre.

"I have to be quite honest, the last couple of weeks you started the countdown, my face was on [TV], and I'm not much for that you know...and I'm sure the guys down there were sick of looking at me as well...you don't look forward to these things, they just happen. You get chances, you win, it just adds up. I've had a lot of chances, a lot of great chances as of late with a lot of favourites and horses that have chances. I didn't think I'd get there [Wednesday night] but that's racing, right?"

Hennessey 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.

To listen to and watch the wide-ranging interview with Hennessey conducted the night after his milestone-clinching win, click the play button below.