Hennessey wins five, Dinges four at Sunshine Meadows

Harness racing had one of those rare days where purses at a fair track outpaced purses at a vast majority of pari-mutuel facilities throughout North America.

With over $200,000 on the line, the Florida Standardbred Breeders and Owners Association (FSBOA) showcased their Florida Breeders Stakes finals honoring the memory of iconic horseman Jay Sears.

Wally Hennessey, Tony Dinges and Justin Mullitt were the stars of the eight-race program with Hennessey driving five winners, Dinges training four and Mullet completing the six-day (Saturdays only) meeting unblemished with six driving wins and 10 training wins.

Here are the complete Florida Breeders Stakess results on Champions Day.

$26,200 Two-Year-Old Filly Trot—King’s Sweetheart (Big Chocolate) picked an opportune time to break her maiden as she got picture perfect handling by Kevin Wallis to upset the previously undefeated Legacy’s Jailbreak, driven by Mike Simons, by four lengths in 2:01.4. Prairie Ranga, handled by Marc Major was next with Pixie Jet and Atlantic Wave earning the final two awards.

Kings Sweetheart roared off the wings, yielded on the long Sunshine Meadows backstretch and started gnawing away once they turned for home. With but $2,690 in her four lifetime starts previous, King’s Sweetheart left the arena with earnings of $15,790 for Rebecca Glassford, who co-owns with trainer Marshall Makin.

$26,200 Two-Year-Old Gelding Trot—Prairie Nuggett (Shibboleth Hanover), driven by Wally Hennessey, survived a three-horse photo and stuck her nose out right on the money to hit the wire in a lifetime best 2:01.4. Trained by Lisa Martin for Mary Martin and Laurie Poulin, the winner whiskered stablemate Prairie Famous, with Tony Dinges in the bike with Rhinestone Camo, driven by Kevin Wallis, another nose back in third. Seminole Moon, closing fastest of all, was fourth while Getnthecarchuckie, making a big mid-mile move, picked up the nickel.

The winner was close up throughout, found room to roam turning for home and just got there as they fanned there across the track all the way home. The win vaulted Prairie Nuggett’s earnings to $23,147.

$26,200 Two-Year-Old Filly Pace—The ultra-consistent Prairie Special (Royal Millennium), who won on opening day of the FSBOA stakes meeting while knocking on the door four week in a row after, was given smart handling by trainer Tony Dinges to score in 1:58.1, roaring home in the lane to score by 5 1/4 lengths over Flo Jo, driven by Mike Simons. Prairie Lynx was third for Wally Hennessey while Prairie Magical and Sasha earned the final two checks.

Said Dinges after the event, “She’s a hard trying filly—a little anxious off the gate sometimes—but she sure has shown she’s got a strong second brush and that’s what got it done for her today!” Owned by Laurie Poulin along with Lee Clarke, Prairie Special now sports a 2-3-1 scorecard during the stakes season and now has bounty of $22,480.

$26,200 Two-Year-Old Colt/Gelding Pace—Easy As That (Tarver Hanover) had an easy time for Wally Hennessey as he led every long stride of his mile to score by two lengths in a lifetime best 1:59.2. Gator Forty Five, in the garden spot all the way around, was second for Kevin Wallis while Flying For Trev, with pilot Marc Major, was a ground=saving third. Constant Velocity was fourth and JC Diamond, tho far back, managed fifth.

Trained by Tony Dinges for owner Lee Clarke, the trainer remarked, “He was kind of a slow learner and we had to regroup a bit with him but, as you saw today, he’e learning the trade quite well.” Easy As That now has $25,987 on his card.

$25,000 Three-Year-Old Filly Trot—G’s Independence (Big Chocolate) once again trounced her two rivals—this time by 12 lengths—with a 2:03 wire-to-wire stroll off fractions of :29.4, 1:00.1 and 1:31 before an eased up final panel kept her unblemished record in Florida intact, now at five for owner-trainer-driver Justin Mullett. Charis, driven by Matt Krueger, was second while I’m Solar Powered, handed by Marc Major, was third in this trio. The victory sent her 2022 bounty to $31,963 and $76,390 lifetime.

$25,400 Three-Year-Old Gelding Trot—Prince Of Sussex (Creatine) survived a threat around th final bend and went on to score a five length win for Wally Hennessey, who was in the bike for Justin Mullett, who trained for Heather Wilder and Herman Brewer. In a mile clocked in 2:03.1—:29.2, Little John was second for Matt Krueger while Oh No Not Again, with Tony Dinges in the bike, was third over Gator Force.

Not only did Prince Of Sussex sweep through the fall stakes program unblemished, but it was also the second straight year he did so, as he swept through his two-year-old season undefeated, as well. Prince Of Sussex now as earnings of $49,037 and $139,826 lifetime.

$25,800 Two-Year-Old Filly Pace—Come On Spank Me (Tellitlikeitis), last year’s champion in her juvenile pacing filly division, repeated her performance in her sophomore division on Champions Day.scoring for the team of Hennessey and Dinges in 1:54.4, her margin two lengths over arch rival Benecio, with Matt Krueger in the bike. Neverouttathefight, driven by Rob Hoffman, was next, followed by Gold Star Snowball and Prairie Merida.

Come On Spank Me, leaving from her outside five post, went looking for the lead off the gate but  a pair of speedsters beat her to the punch so the best she could do was find a cozy spot in third through hot panels of :27 and :56.1. Around the final bend Hennessey sent Com On Spank Me on a roll and she assumed command at the third station in 1:25 and repelled a bid from Benicio mid-stretch to pull away late. Dinges trains the filly for Burke Racing and Weaver Bruscemi with her earnings vaulting to $84,744 lifetime with this win—10th lifetime.

$25,000 Three-year-old Gelding Pace—Cowboy Cool (Western Terror), benefitting again from the driver-trainer team of Wally Hennessey and Tony Dinges, blasted out of the garden spot after a mild :59.1 half and went on to a five length win over Gator At The Wheel, with young George Birkhold in the bike, and Vinnie V, handled by Matt Krueger, to score in 1:57—:28. Owned by Souren  Hovsepian along with Geoff Howles, who made his Sunshine Meadows debut a winning one a week ago, earned his ninth career win to send his earnings to $77,808.

Odds and Ends—Hennessey’s five wins brought his meet total to 15 and 11,452 lifetime. He has 346 wins this season. Dinges’ grand slam in the training column brought his career total to 375. Mullett’s remarkable feat of 6-for-6 driving and 10-for-10 training makes him the first trainer in history to bat 1,000 in both categories.

Hennessey had high praise for the track crew at Sunshine Meadows lamenting, “I am on the track at 6:15 to 6:30 and this track crew was already at work manicuring the track. Kudos to them and their entire management team, they run a first-class operation and it showed up today in the racing.”

For complete race results, click here.

by John Berry, for the FSBOA