Wally Hennessey’s finest birthday gift

Twenty-five years ago, tonight (Oct 9, 1999), harness racing driver Wally Hennessey walked through the Balmoral Park race paddock, carelessly flicking his whip through the grit on the dusty dirt floor.

Wally, who had just celebrated his 43^rd birthday five days earlier, was hoping for the ultimate birthday gift—that his charge in that night’s $165,000 American National—the great trotting filly Moni Maker, would take home first prize.

“This mare has given me a lot of gifts already,” Wally noted at the time. “Obviously, I have the world of confidence in her. It would be great to win this race, as I’ve never won an American National, and it also brings us closer to besting Peace Corps’ record.”

Wally was referring to Peace Corps all-time money earning record of $1.4 million, of which Moni Maker was quickly approaching. A winner of $3,884,778 going into that night’s Am-Nat, Moni Maker only trailed Peace Corps by a paltry $255,000.

“We never set that goal with her from the beginning (to best Peace Corps’ record),” Wally said of the daughter of Speedy Crown. “But now that it’s getting closer, it’s extremely exciting. It would be great if she could top the record here in the United States; I’d really like to see her do that.”

Wally knew that the next outing for Moni Maker was to be the $400,000 Trotting Classic Final at Mohawk in Canada. The then 6-year-old mare, who was out of the Bonefish broodmare and 1988 Hambletonian Oaks winner Nan’s Catch, was owned by the Moni Maker Stable of East Windsor, Conn., and was trained by Jimmy Takter.

“I’ve been driving a lot of years,” Wally said at the time. “But I’ve never been the type to count on my winner’s circle check until I get there, but this mare can sure give you a lot of confidence.”

Foaled on February 23, 1993, at Georgetown, KY, Moni Maker was bred by Fredericka “Ricki” and David Caldwell of Cane Run Farm. She sold as a yearling for $87,000 at the Tattersalls Sale in Lexington, KY to the partnership of Frank Antonacci, KR Leasing LLC, Paul Nigito, Harvey Gold, Geoffrey Stein, and Daid Reid, and in July of 1995, a share was sold to Lindy Farms for an undisclosed sum.

That year—1999—had begun well for Moni Maker. She became the first American-owned horse to win the Prix d’ Amerique in Paris, France since Delmonica Hanover had accomplished that feat nearly a quarter century earlier. She also became the first American horse and only the 12^th horse in history to win both the Prix d’ Amerique and Sweden’s Elitlopp. Fittingly enough, Moni Maker’s victory in the Prix d’ Amerique came just two days after her sire, Speedy Crown, celebrated his 31^st birthday.

She then took the Prix d’ France in a mile rating of 1:57.2 over 2,100 meters (just over a mile and a quarter) in early February, before returning to the states, where she posted a triumph in a $40,000 Mares Open at the Meadowlands. She then headed back to Europe, and returned to the USA in August, where she won a Big M qualifier before finishing second to Supergrit in the $500,000 Trot Monodial in Canada. She then won the first, second, and third leg of the Trotting Classic Series, first at The Meadows, then at Freehold (where she was parked the mile), and then at Mohawk Raceway.

Moni Maker’s previous triumphs had included victories in the Hambletonian Oaks, the Matron, the New York Sires Stakes, a Zweig division (age 3); the $235,000 Classic Oaks Final; the $312,500 Nat Ray Final in 1:52.2 (the fastest mile of that year at age 4). She was the overwhelming favorite as the Older Trotting Mare of the year for 1997, earning $942,999. At age 5, Moni Maker won the Elitoppet in 1:53.3, the $500,000 Breeders Crown Final, and the $300,000 Nat Ray, as well as the Copenhagen Cup in a new world record time of 2:26 over one and one quarter miles, before winning three straight events in Milan and Rome, Italy.

Moni Maker had the distinction of being the only trotter in that 1999 American National at Balmoral Park to have won races in six different countries: Italy, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Canada, and the United States; and on 19 different racetracks.

If Wally could have predicted the future, he would have known he had nothing to worry about, and that his birthday wish would come to fruition, as the great mare trotted to a 1:53f triumph in come-from-behind fashion on that mild (63 degree) night, drawing off from her five rivals by four lengths.

“She’s gone some awesome miles,” Wally told this reporter on Am-Nat night. “Moni Maker is great at any distance and on any size racetrack. If you were to build a racehorse, you’d build Moni Maker…that’s just how perfect she is.”

Those she beat in that American National were no slouches either: Goodtimes, Daytime Torch, B Cor Pete, Sir DJ, and Magician, all top diagonally gaited competitors in their own right.

Moni Maker would end 1999 being named Trotter of the Year for the second consecutive season, a title she would also garner in 2000. She had been named Horse of the Year in 1998 and 1999 as well. The three-time winner of this honor would go on to retire with $5,589,256 in career earnings and a 7-year-old record of 1:52.1.

In the breeding shed she produced nine foals—seven fillies and two colts—having been bred to the top trotting stallions of the day (Valley Victory, Conway Hall, Self Possessed, Credit winner, Chocolatier, Cantab Hall, Deweycheatumnhowe, Donato Hanover, Love You, and Muscle Hill), but none could match her greatness.

Moni Maker appropriately lived out her life in well-deserved peace at Lindy Farms, passing away on May 2, 2014.

by Kimberly Rinker, for Harnesslink