Behind the Gate 1“?

ver to drive for other trainers in this area: he might have been one of our first and best catch-drivers. I admired him and Francis Mclsaac next to dad as top horse- men at that time. There were other horsemen like meett Bernard. Walter Craig. Sid Stead. Buddv Campbell. etc. that kids like me could learn from. Over the years. manv Maritime horsemen had the potential and abilitv to leave this area and succeed at the highest level else— where but for manv the move didn‘t take place because thev were afraid that thev might fail.”

At age 18 in Charlottetown. an enthusias— tic. eager and talented teenager began to operate his first stable under the supervi- sion of his dad. At that time. jack Brown owned a number of horses and he want— ed one person to look alter and train them. \\"allv would do the training but joe or jodv. his brother. would do the dri— ving when it came time to race them. \‘i’allv explained. “'I‘hev weren‘t reallv mv own horses even though I was doing all the work on them. Dad was overseeing what I was doing." Nevertheless. a youngster received a valuable learning experience that he would draw from in

the vears to come.

The verv next year in 1973. George Murphv. a potato dealer from Augustine Cove provided \V'allv a real opportunitv to operate his own stable at Saint john Iixhibition Racewav in New Brunswick. \Vallv fondlv remembered. "I moved to Saint john with George Murphv‘s horses

Wally Hennessey

and it was really mv stable; however. that winter when Francis McIsaac was avail— able he drove the horses. otherwise. I did the driving. Francis had such a large sta— ble of his own so I usuallv drove Colonial Court. 0111‘ Darling and Generals .Ilmgarel. I also had Alto/ber .Ilacccl and he was the best horse around but Francis was his regular driver. I will appreciate and never forget the opportu— nitv provided me bv George Murphv because he reallv got me noticed.“

This horseman would return to Charlotte— town for the 1976 season but that would be his last vear stabled at the Charlottetown Driving Park. The follow— ing vear he returned to Saint john which became his base of operation for a num— ber of years until his move to Florida. That year he still had the George Murphy horses plus Hamil Butler and [fest .\'oc sent over by his dad. In addition. jack Brown sent him horses with Island names like KUpfloC/J. A’I’II/oc/e and lv'or/ Ant/Mist. In 19—76. the Wally IIennessev Stable was regarded as one ofthe quality stables in the Maritimes.

Something extremelv important to \Xr’allv IIennessev took place during his tenure in Saint john. He met his future bride. He met Barbie through his involvement in harness racing. Barbie‘s dad was Doug Colwell who. at that time. was the General Manager and Race Secretary of the Atlantic National Exhibition in Saint

john. Barbie happened to be working in

the race office one summer. \V’allv

13