Jodyi'Hennessey

[n 2002. within a week at the (I.D.P.. two incidents illustrated an important lesson. First. a two year—old filly while jogging suddenly hegan to kick and dislodged an experienced horseman from the cart. The filly rushed through the open gate to the ham area narrowly missing a numher of people hut she was caught hefore any— one was injured. Second. a very similar scenario except this time. a driver ended up in the hospital with hroken ribs and extensive equipment damage. Both inci— dents happened to experienced drivers

and could have happened to any driver

hut they illustrated something that had changed around some tracks. lody explained. “\V'hen I started out. you did—

nt go on the racetrack with a horse after

you were here for a week or two. \Vhen I was It or 13. I could only get on the track at certain times and with certain horses that were good mannered. At that

time. we were involved with horses for

10 or l2 years hefore we got our driver's licence. Now they don‘t have to clean stalls. clean harness. walk horses or do the things that heginners used to do. The hest athletes in any sport are the ones that start at the hottom and work them— selves up the ladder."

A positive change for Jody in the industry

Behind the Gate

was the fact that the equipment was lighter and more efficient. For example. the quick—hitch is the equipment around the horse's torso that is used to connect the shafts of the hike to the horse. ‘Iody explained. "There is no tie—down to it. You don‘t have your horse tied in. There is more movement so the horse is freer hetween the shafts. All the equipment is lighter including the hikes. .\'ow you can pick them up with one hand."

\V'ith all the positive improvements in equipment. nutrition. track maintenance and surface. hreeding. etc. resulting in 1:31 miles in the Atlantic provinces. I asked ~Iody how our hest horses of the past like Andy‘s Son. \t'i‘nnw‘s Accolade or .llzghtt' fee would perform under 2008 conditions. He answered without hesita» tion. "If there were a top class this Saturday night. those three horses would he there with the hest we have today even though horses today are hred and trained for speed. not for enltnance."

One aspect of the game that this knowl— edgeahle horseman did not want to see disappear was the small or h;,lf-mile race— track. He liked the half-mile tracks hecause he helieved they wsre hest for the puhlic. The fans are mtch closer to

“ When I ma/ee a decision 10 comm z’l myseljdnrz'ng (l race, I can 't tahe it hac/e. If is a split second decision

when to move a horse dz/trz'ng a race.

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