Joe Hennessey it? 
     
     _loe “'l‘wo—llole" llennessey won 92-} 
     
     races but his most memorable race was 
     
     one that he lost. In the 19m Gold Cup 
     
    
   
   
    
     and Saucer. ‘Ioe droye Tammany l/c/l/ for 
     
    
   
   
    
     Stanley Mayhew and jack Brown. At the 
     
     three—quarters. he was hopelessly caught 
     
     in a hole while the eyentual winner ‘lmze 
     
     Byrd circled the field. _loe had lots left. 
     
     but when he did clear in the stretch. it 
     
     was too late and he finished second. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Behind eyeiy successful man you will 
     
     find a woman. Joe liennessey stated that 
     
     his wife. Shirley was without question. 
     
     the reason he and their 10 kids had done 
     
     so well often in yery trying times. It was 
     
     not easy raising such a large family and 
     
     eyeryone had to chip in with all the 
     
     chores eyen those related to the horses. 
     
     ~loe claimed that Shirley was the glue that 
     
     kept the family together and she ga\'e the 
     
     family direction. 
     
    
   
   
    
     In the past. harness racing was a sport 
     
     where winning was important to gain 
     
     bragging rights in the community. It 
     
     became a business and if a horse didn't 
     
     pay his way. often he didn‘t stay. This 
     
     was the biggest change that _loe noticed 
     
     in the game. The second big change was 
     
     the speed of the horses. 'l‘oday's horses 
     
     continue to go faster for many reasons. 
     
    
   
   
    
     The Atlantic Sire (Iolt Stakes and other 
     
     lucratiye stake races haye been a blessing 
     
     to the industry claimed this yeteran 
     
     horseman. In the beginning. they were 
     
     for two—. three— and four—year—<)lds. both 
     
     trotters and pacers. 
     
    
   
   
    
     92 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     Behind the Gate 
     
    
   
   
    
     Aloe liennessey loyed his wife and family 
     
     first and horse racing second. His father. 
     
     \\"al would walk fiye miles to see a race 
     
     and Joe's attitude was similar. He pre— 
     
     ferred the liye racing oyer the simulcast. 
     
     He would watch the simulcast when son 
     
     \‘(V’ally was driying .1lom' Tia/«er. Paci/i'c 
     
     lie/la or some other entry: otherwise. he 
     
     did not care too much for the simulcast. 
     
     The thing he liked least about racing was 
     
     any instance of horse abuse. This really 
     
     bothered this gentleman who really loyed 
     
     all horses. lie loyed horses because he 
     
     grew up around horses: he would sleep 
     
     in their stalls. then do the feeding and 
     
     mucking before his own breakfast. The 
     
     seeds of the game were implanted in him 
     
     at a Very early age and they produced a 
     
     successful horseman. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Good owners and good horses were a 
     
     blessing to ‘loe throughout his career but 
     
     he was also good to them. This train~ 
     
     er driyer tried to get along with his own— 
     
    
   
   
    
     ers and his horses. 
     
    
   
   
    
     \V'al liennessey taught “Two—Hole" \‘ery 
     
     early in life that there was always some— 
     
     thing to learn and that you can never 
     
     know it all. He emphasized this and 
     
     added that it was better to be a good lis- 
     
     tener than talker. These two gems of 
     
     adyice he would giye to any youngster 
     
    
   
   
    
     thinking of entering the industry 
     
    
   
   
    
     Some of the people who hay-s worked in 
     
     the Joe llennessey stable oyer the years 
     
     included Ralph "Boo" Shepherd. .lack 
     
     Pound. .Ioe Arsenault. Bert iVchade.