It was a historic moment on Saturday, April 14th for the Hennessy barn. Rod Hennessy took home his 2000th training win in the very first race of the day with the four-year-old mare ASK FOR ME.
Hennessy is a leading driver and trainer at Century Downs Racetrack and Casino, with 47 driving starts and 50 training starts from January 1st. Collectively, he has seen 15 wins so far this year, and we’re expecting great things from him.
“It was quite an honour to make the 2000,” said Rod Hennessy in a recent interview at Century Downs. “There ain’t a lot of them in the world.”
ASK FOR ME started the race quickly and landed herself in front, with odds of 2-1. Hennessy was being chased closely by MISS BOJANGLES. It was a tight finish, but Hennessy and ASK FOR ME pulled through at 1:57:2 to take the win, followed by MISS BOJANGLES (Kelly) and IS SANTA REAL (Gagne).
Hennessy is known as an industry veteran, so this win was very exciting. “We’re thinking [my first win] was a horse my dad owned called CASH COUNSEL when I was 16 years old at Northlands Park,” said Hennessy. “I think I’ve raced at 14 tracks, counting all the fairs here in Alberta, I’ve raced all over Saskatchewan, to the tune of about 7 or 8, [in] Ontario I’ve raced at every track that’s been raced there… [in total] you’re probably looking at around 35 tracks.
Not only has Hennessy been in the horse racing industry for a long time, he has seen some big wins in his days. “My biggest driving win was beating COUNTERFORCROWN with TYLERS ROYALTY [at] Northlands,” said Hennessy. “Training-wise was when we finished 1-2-3 in the Western Canadian Pacing Derby.”
While Hennessy has been doing this for a long time, he believes that young horses are his forte. “I started out back at the farm training a real good horse that taught me a lot called DOCKERRY BARRE,” said Hennessy. “Another one we had was ADIOS PICK, and that one was a sire that taught a lot of us in my generation how to become a good horse trainer.
A big congratulations to you Rod, from everyone here at Century Downs! We wish you the best of luck this season!
COMING UP THIS WEEKEND
Join us in our Off Track Betting lounge to watch the 144th Kentucky Derby on Saturday, May 5! We’ll be simulcasting the ever-famous race, so you won’t have to travel all the way to Churchill Downs! Our doors will be open at 8:00 a.m. for those interested in catching the races! Sip Mint Juleps out of your very own commemorative Kentucky Derby glass, available for purchase. The Kentucky Derby post time is 4:46 p.m., following our live races.
Get ready for a cute-overload! We’re hosting Virgin Radio Calgary’s Chihuahua Races on Cinco de Mayo (May 5) following the live horse racing at 5:00 p.m. Watch as Calgary’s smallest pooches will race for all the glory…and to win its owner an all-inclusive vacation to Dreams Riviera Cancun Resort and Spa in Mexico from Air Canada Vacations! Don’t worry if you don’t have a pup, stop by and you can enter to win a $500 travel voucher!
See you at the races!