Reflections on Pompano Park with Wally Hennessey

Before the final day of harness racing set for Easter Sunday, April 17 at Pompano Park, this reporter was able to have a sit-down interview with Hall of Famer Wally Hennessey.

We agreed that this would be a reflection of Hennessey’s long-standing career at Pompano Park, which spans over 37 years.

Hennessey and I first met back in the early 1990’s and became instant friends. He helped convince this reporter to come to Pompano in 2000 to work as Director of Publicity and Marketing and then in 2005 I was promoted to Senior Director of Racing Operations until 2009.

“I really wanted to sit down with you and talk about my reflections on my time at Pompano Park.” Hennessey said. “I wouldn’t call it depression to talk about the ending of racing at Pompano, it’s more like a funeral. That’s the way I feel. And that you can’t control it.

“My first experience with Pompano Park,” Hennessey explained. “Was not when I first moved here in 1986 with my stable. It was the early 1980’s and I was racing my stable in Atlantic Canada.

“I would always come down here for a week’s vacation.” Hennessey added. “So, just like any horseman, when you came here on vacation, you had to go to the racetrack.

“At that time, Archie McNeil was stabled on the training side with a big barn of horses. And some of the young horses he had were owned by clients I also had in Atlantic Canada. I knew Archie through my dad, and they were good friends.

“So, they hooked me with Archie to come over a few mornings and help him train some of the babies.” Hennessey said. “Archie let me train some of his $80,000 plus horses. I was really worried that if something happened when I was in the sulky it would not be good.

“We were training sets of five or six horses,” Hennessey explained. “And everything was going fine. Then in the third set Archie told me to make sure the colt I was on stayed first-over the entire training mile. I told him, “You want me to stay two or three-wide with him the whole mile? He said yes and I thought I had screwed up and he did not want me taking this colt inside with the other ones.

“When the morning was done,” Hennessey added. “We were sitting back in Archie’s office, so I asked him if I did screw up this morning and that was why he wanted me to sit on the outside with that one colt.

“He told me, “Don’t be so foolish Wally. Do you know who owns that colt? That colt is a full brother to Merger named F Troop and he is owned by Ronnie Waples. I then asked Archie, then why did you want me to keep him parked out the mile?

“Well then Archie’s said,” Wally explained. “Because that is where Ronnie will race him at all summer long so he might as well get used to it now. And that was my introduction to Pompano Park.

“One of those trips I was on the third floor having a beer,” Hennessey recalled. “The place was packed, and I said to myself, boy I hope I get to drive a horse here one day. I would just love to say that I drove a horse at Pompano Park.

“At that time, I had the best stable in Atlantic Canada. It was 1986 and I started thinking about moving the stable that winter to Pompano Park. I wanted to do it for shits and giggles. I was worried because my horses were doing great in Atlantic Canada, but I knew they were not good enough to race at Pompano.

“All my owners supported me in moving the stable to Pompano,” Hennessey added. “So, my brother Dan and I, in the fall of 1986, we loaded up the trailers, green as grass, and we headed to Pompano Park.

“We had filled out stall applications,” Hennessey explained. “And they got back to us and said they had stalls for us. That was a real surprise as back then the track could hold 1,000 horses on the training side and 2,200 horses on the track side. And they were always filled for the winter season and yet had room for us.

“I then found out that the man in charge at Pompano was Harold Duris and he was a fellow USTA Director with my father-in-law and another friend of the family, Kevin Fergus,” Hennessey said. “Kevin suggested to Harold Duris that he should give stalls to Hennessey and give him a chance.

“I ended up getting ten stalls that fall,” Hennessey said. “It was Barn K on the racetrack side, and it was a real experience.

“Back at home in Canada our horses were special when they could break 2:00 in a race,” Hennessey explained. “My first day at the track they had qualifying races, so I went over to watch them. At the time back home, my best pacer could go maybe 1:59.

“Well, the first qualifying race I saw the horse won in 1:57,” Hennessey remembered. “I went back to the barn and told my brother Dan; we are in trouble.

“At the time my father-in-law had a mobile home near the track and it was so convenient for us to just move right in and start working. I had come down early, before the horses, to get things ready.

“I was so nervous,” Hennessey said. “I did not know if we really belonged at this great track. “And then when I drove over on Powerline Road coming to Atlantic Blvd where the track was and there was the biggest billboard I ever saw. It was maroon and grey sign and in huge letters, Pompano Park Racing Oct. 18 to April 6.

“I looked at that sign, and my heart just sunk,” Hennessey said. “What am I doing here? I then mustered up enough positive energy to keep moving forward. I almost turned around and said let’s go home.

“At the time Pompano was just 22 years old. It was the Taj Mahal of racetracks and truly the Winter Capital of Harness Racing. What a superb facility it was.

“I made the sure the barn was ready for when the horses arrived. Once Dan and horses were settled, I got my first drive at the track.

“It was for Jim Doherty, Jr. His father, Jim Doherty, was also from Prince Edward Island and knew me well and told Jim, Jr. to use me on his horses.

“At first, I did not know about the drivers’ room at the track with lockers and showers and such nice amenities. I was just pulling on my colors in the stall with the horse over my street clothes, grabbed my helmet and got on the horse.

“I don’t remember the horses name, nor how I did in the race,” Hennessey said. “I just remember how nervous I was. In fact, I never used the driver’s room that entire first season. I felt I was not worthy enough to use it. I didn’t know if I would ever be good enough to be part of the driving colony at Pompano.

“My own horses that season were just not good enough to compete and make money at Pompano,” Hennessey added. “I have to tell you that back then they had to take off the 30-day rule because the cheaper claimers, I remember $5,000 claimers could not get into race with the 30 days.

“Warren DeSantis was the race secretary back then and he took the rule off to get those horses races. I had an $8,000 claimer that year and he was getting in once every three weeks. Back then you had to race your stalls off, race so many times during the season so your stall was rent free. I was worried that we would not make the six races with each horse you had to get for a free stall.

“Then there were a lot of I people I knew from up north in Atlantic Canada who would come down here to Pompano either for the winter (snowbirds) or for a vacation.

“They told me about a man I needed to meet so I said OK. I thought this was an older guy that has raced here before and I finally got to meet this man, who was about the same age as me and his name is Jack Darling.

“At that time, he was the leading percentage driver at Pompano,” Hennessey said. “And he had a regular driver who had a positive drug test and he got 30 days suspension for it.

“So, that Saturday night (you got the program on Friday), I looked at the book and low and behold Jack Darling put me down to drive on all of his horses. And they were good horses.

“He came over and introduced himself to me. He said he had been watching me, told me that his driver was suspended for 30 days and I want to use you for the 30 days.

“I thanked Jack for the opportunity and I was never one for getting instructions from the trainers on how to drive their horses,” Hennessey admitted. “Jack said he only wanted to tell me one thing. One time only. He said “I don’t want you to get caught in” and I said “What do you mean you don’t want me to get caught in?” Are you talking about the quarter pole when a horse is coming? You don’t want me to sit in a hole?

“Now, I was racing all of my stable on the wood hoping to get as good a trip as I could to get a check with them. Now this guy is telling me not to get caught in.

“Just give them a chance and don’t get caught in,” Jack told me again. And I told him “I can do that. That’s what I’ve been waiting for.”

“That was the month of February,” Hennessey added. “And we won everything that month. Jack and I that month were going crazy. I don’t remember what our percentage was back then, but it was just wild how good we were.

“Jack giving me all those good horses to drive really gave me some confidence. It showed me that I can compete with these guys at Pompano.

“After that month I was on the fourth floor and saw everyone that had their private box seats for the season. I was introduced to Mr. Duris and one night I tell him if ever a box seat were to open or was available for the season, could you keep me in mind? He said no problem, we’ll see.

The next season Dan and I are back at Pompano Park. We’re here about a week or so and over the loudspeaker comes the announcement, “Will Wally Hennessey please report to Mr. Duris’s office.

“I had no idea if I was in trouble or what. I did not know why he was calling me to his office. I go to his office and he asks if I have few minutes and I said of course and he says lets go for a walk.”

“He took me around, showed me the grandstand, the new emergency exits they just put it and then we head up to the fourth floor. He takes me into the box seat area and walks down to a box right on the window and says “Remember you asked me about a box seat last year? I told him yes and he says how do you like this one? I said it’s pretty nice and he told me it’s yours if you want it.

“I had that box seat for many years after that. It was so special. It came with passes and programs and those were the years that Pompano Park has the Breeders Crowns and Matron Stakes. Really great racing back then and we had one of the best box seats at the track.

“During those glory years I got to me many of the greatest owners, breeders, trainers and drivers in the sport of harness racing. I was living in heaven after a few years, spending the winters in Florida and then the summers on the New York Sire Stakes circuit. We were based out of Saratoga Raceway then.

“Year after year I kept after it and I started to get more and more good drives and by the 1990’s was one of the leading drivers. I never ever thought I would be driving in Breeders Crown races and here I was doing it at Pompano Park.

It was just so glorious being at Pompano Park at that time. After Dan and I were finished at the barn, we would walk over to the training side and go from barn to barn visiting and talking with fellow horsemen and owners.

“I am sorry to say I did not ever get to meet Billy Haughton as he died the summer before I arrived at Pompano, but to get to go into the barns of Stanley Dancer, Del Miller, Jack Darling    and look at the showplaces they had. One barn just a beautiful as the next.

“Dan and I would visit all the barn and see and steal ideas of what we could do to make our barn look that good or better. It was important to us to have a great looking stable. It showed we had pride in our work.

“I had become friendly with Warren DeSantis at Pompano and he then became one of my best friends ever. He is the one who changed the Hennessey’s life forever.

“During that next season, Saratoga Raceway hired Warren DeSantis as their General Manager. He already started on me in the winter of 1987 to bring my stable to Saratoga for the summer and not go back to Atlantic Canada.

“At the time I was the big fish in a small pond in Atlantic Canada,” Hennessey explained. “I did not want to became the little fish in a big pond.

“But Warren DeSantis was persistent and he kept after me to come to Saratoga,” Hennessey said. “Then, about two weeks before we were going to leave Pompano, Warren calls me and says, “You’re heading north anyway. Why not stop and try out racing for a few weeks and see how you like it. If your not happy, at least your 7/8^th of the way home!

“He had me there. I went home and talked it over with my brother Dan and our owners and they said, “What ever you want to do Wally, we’re behind you. And it changed my life forever.

“I would not be talking with you now Wolfie,” Hennessey said. “If it was not for Warren DeSantis. I would have gone back to Atlantic Canada and never surfaced again. Warren and I became the greatest of friends.

“The next season at Pompano I was getting more and more drives and I have to thank all the great trainers and owners for allowing me to drive their horses. It was all a dream come true year in year out. It was like working with the Who’s Who of harness racing in the 80’s, 90’s and early 2000’s.

“I also enjoyed competing in the Florida-sired stakes races. I can’t tell you how many Sunshine Stakes, Stallion and Breeders Finals I won over the years. I really appreciate all the trainers and owners that gave me a chance to drive their horses.

“Such wonderful people I got to drive for in the Florida program. Jay and Kim Sears, Charlie Norris, Mike Deters, Anthony Amante and Christina Gerrity, Jim Langley and so many others. The Hennessey Stable had at least 10 Florida-bred champions in our barn.

“And every year Pompano held the first Grand Circuit stake of the season called The Floridian for three-year-old pacers. That was a big deal back in the day.

“It’s just amazing the many great people that would come to Pompano Park.

One of the greatest was Stanley Dancer. He was an icon of our sport and we became instant friends and then in his later years he asked Dan and I to take over and train his horses. His partner on the two horses just happens to be baseball great Whitey Ford.

“Over the years I met Arnold Palmer, Pete Rose, George Steinbrenner and a host of other big celebrities that loved harness racing. The head of publicity was none other than Hall of Famer Allen Finkelson. He was one of the best in the industry and had a strong staff behind him with Joe Hartmann and Gary Siebel.

“They would give away a Cadillac just about every Saturday and other prizes all the time to keep the patrons happy. Allen wasn’t just for the big guys; Allen was for everybody. He, in own way, made everybody feel like they were important. And that’s a quality not many people have.

“Back in the day the track would always hold a parade of champions,” Hennessey added. “And the top trainers at the track would bring out their best horses, world champions in training, and parade them on the track for all the fans to see. Such great memories over the years. It would make my hart proud.

“It was so great every year racing against the best drivers in the sport,” Hennessey said. “I think over the past twenty-five years it was either Bruce Ranger or myself as the leading driver until Bruce stopped driving a few years back.

“I do have a big regret,” Hennessey explained. “They wrote book on me from Prince Edward Island called Wally Hennessey, Driven to Win and I had two special requests, one was that the forward was written by daughter Kristy and there was to be a full chapter just on Moni Maker. I never thought to do a chapter on Pompano Park and it is my only regret on the book.

“Just recently we had a driver challenge competition here at Pompano.” Wally said. I headed Team Pompano with Kevin Wallis, Peter Wrenn and David Miller and we soundly beat Team Gingras.

“As I started cleaning out my office this week,” Hennessey said. “I came across a picture from the early 1990’s of Team Pompano Park vs The Meadows. And who was on Team Pompano back then? Peter Wrenn, Kevin Wallis, myself and Joe Pavia, Jr. I had to take a step back, you’ve got to be kidding me. If Joe Pavia had not retired from driving, he would have been on the team. And, of course, Dave Miller was on The Meadows Team back then.

“And how about you Wolfie at Pompano Park?

“We first met when you called me and invited me to Freehold Raceway to compete in your Drivers Challenge against the leading drivers from tracks around the country. What a great honor that was. You had hundreds of people lined up for the autograph session and thousands of people at the event every year.

“After Allen Finkelson got sick and had to leave Pompano, they brought it someone who had no harness racing experience and things were going downhill after a couple of seasons.

“Then Dick Feinberg is named General Manager and the next thing I know there you are at my barn. We talked about you coming down here and how great it could be and two weeks later you were down here. And I said thank God, we need you down here.

“The greatest night ever at Pompano Park was when Niatross made his last start of his great career.” Hennessey added. “And the second greatest night was when you brought the man from Australia, Vincent Silvestro and his amazing Hot To Trot fireworks stunt show to Pompano.

“What a super great show it was and the stands and track apron were jammed with thousands of people once again. Then you brought your driver challenge to Pompano and got Herve Filion and Walter Case, Jr. to compete.

“You organized the mini-horse barn to represent the track and go to children’s hospitals, parades and schools to help promote racing.

“The Family Nights, St Patrick’s Day Race, Martin Luther King and Lou Williams Night, Antique Car Shows, concerts, festivals and more always drew big crowds to the track.

“You called me up and made me bring a horse and jog cart over to the main entrance early one Sunday morning where were more than 5,000 motorcycles for the Toys For Tots run. But then we got there we were able to meet and take photographs with none other than Steven Tyler. Amazing, just amazing.

We are just days away from the end of Pompano Park, but Hennessey wants to remember all the positives.

“We earned the title of Winter Capital of Harness Racing over the years,” Hennessey said. “People throughout the sport recognized that slogan and it was so great in its heyday. But let me tell you we are going out also being recognized throughout harness racing as The Pomp! And everyone knows The Pomp.

“Thanks to Gabe Prewitt and the great John Berry and the Florida Amateur Driving Club as we have tried to go out with a bang this final season and we got the job done. We’ve had driver championships, Pro-Am competition, even an announcer’s race. All great stuff. But it’s bitter sweet. By next week the party’s over.

“From 1986 to right now,” Hennessey said. “I’ve lived my dream. The unfortunate thing is that I am losing my dream. I look from the side of my stable and can see the old grandstand standing there and, in my mind, it is as regal as the day it was built.”

By Steve Wolf