Hennessey to receive Lifetime Achievement Award
Goshen, NY – Few folks have been inducted into extra Halls of Fame than Wally Hennessey. Other than being one of the vital profitable reinsmen within the historical past of harness racing, he’s additionally one of the vital nice and down-to-earth guys one could ever meet.
It’s no surprise that Hennessey has been enshrined in each the (U. S) Harness Racing Corridor of Fame and the Canadian Horse Racing Corridor of Fame. As well as, he has been feted by the Saratoga Harness Corridor of Fame, the Florida (USHWA) Corridor of Fame, the Prince Edward Island Sports activities Corridor of Fame, and the Prince Edward Island Wall of Fame at Pink Shores Racetrack & On line casino in Charlottetown.
Just a few weeks from now Hennessey will add one other title to his lengthy record of accomplishments. When the Monticello-Goshen Chapter of america Harness Writers Affiliation holds their 63rd annual Awards Banquet on Sunday, December 11, 2022, Wally Hennessey will obtain the chapter’s highest honor, their Lifetime Achievement Award.
Walter “Wally” Hennessey, a Prince Edward Island native, comes from a household with an extended historical past in harness racing. Born October 4, 1956, he is without doubt one of the 9 kids of Joe and Shirley Hennessey. His father Joe, thought-about to be one of many most interesting horsemen within the sport, and his grandfather Wal inspired Wally to develop into keen on Standardbreds at an early age.
Within the early Nineteen Eighties Hennessey started to re-write the Maritime harness racing file books, after which moved to the U.S. in 1986 to ply his commerce in Florida, after which New York. He has posted multi-million-dollar seasons practically yearly since and is at present tenth on the all-time sprint win record with 11,442 victories lifetime and is seventh amongst energetic drivers. He has amassed $76,411,805 in profession earnings.
Having received races throughout many continents and maintained his demand as a catch driver by way of quite a few many years, Hennessey has continued to credit score others along with his success.
“Any time you may attain a milestone like this, it’s an accomplishment,” Hennessey stated from the Pompano winner’s circle in 2008. “I’ve had many alternatives from loads of good folks, and also you don’t stand right here with 7,000 races received having achieved it alone.”
Eight years in the past, Saratoga Harness hosted ‘Wally Hennessey Evening,’ full with the most important group photograph within the historical past of the harness observe, or maybe any observe. Final 12 months his memoir, the ‘Wally Pushed to Win’ e book was revealed, with 232 pages devoted to his dwell, his ardour, and to his dedication to the game he loves.
Regardless of being 66-years-young, and competing towards guys lower than half his age, Hennessey has secured 366 victories this 12 months alone, incomes over $3 million, whereas sustaining a really respectable .390 UDRS. As soon as generally known as the “King of the New York Sire Stakes,” the place in 1992 at Buffalo Raceway he received seven NYSS occasions, together with a track-record six in a row.
Whereas driving throughout New York State this season and coaching a small steady at Saratoga over the summer season and autumn months, Hennessey needed to swap gears not too long ago and return south. Obligation referred to as and Wally flew house to South Florida the place he was listed to drive in six of eight Florida Sire Stakes final Saturday (Nov. 12) at Sunshine Meadows. He received half of these occasions.
Maybe greatest identified for his aggressive and constant driving talents, in addition to his affiliation with the champion trotting mare Moni Maker, Hennessey’s love of Florida harness racing isn’t far behind. When Pompano closed earlier this 12 months, Hennessey informed this scribe, “It’s a really unhappy time for us,” echoing the emotions of a complete group. If the Broward County plant ever had a charismatic chief, it was Wally.
Though the lifetime of fond reminiscences within the Sunshine State assist assuage the issue of shifting on with out that annual circuit, Wally’s harness racing mantra and dependable method helps encourage all of us to forge forward when time marches on.
Hennessey not too long ago informed the USTA’s Ken Weingartner, “I may by no means have imagined it in my wildest desires, all of the issues which have occurred to me in my life; to satisfy the folks I’ve met. I’m doing precisely what I wished to do. That’s it multi function sentence. There it’s. It’s what I used to be raised to do. It’s what I used to be put right here for. And it’s all I’m going to do.”
This 12 months, along with the year-end awards for horses and horse folks from the native tracks, the Monticello-Goshen chapter will even honor Anthony Bruno (John Manzi Management Award); Gabe Prewitt (John Gilmour Good Man Award); Lance Ditewig (Excelsior Award); Dr. Stephen P. Dey III (Cradle of the Trotter Breeders Award); Auxiliary of Goshen Historic Observe (Amy Bull Crist Distinguished Service Award); Ted Waddell (Phil Pines Award); Braxten Boyd (Rising Star); Scott Keppler (Newbie Driver); and Tracy and Dr. Gary Smith (Mighty M Award of Appreciation).
Tickets for the gala occasion on the Wallkill Golf Membership, Middletown, NY, will be reserved by contacting Shawn Wiles at (845) 798-4074 or E-mail: swiles@rwcatskills.com.
To put a congratulatory advert within the memento journal, please contact Chris Tully at (845) 807-7538 or E-mail: tullytrot@yahoo.com.
(With recordsdata from the Harness Racing Museum and the USTA information archives)
by Chris Tully, Monticello-Goshen Chapter of USHWA
