Jody' Hennessey 
     
    
   
   
    
     l'nfortunately, there are also many low 
     
     points in this game and Jody had his 
     
     share. The lowest point in his career 
     
     took place in a Gold Cup and Saucer Trial 
     
     when G/engt'le Major got hit and broke 
     
     his leg in the first turn. He had to be put 
     
     down. Jody got emotional. "I still think 
     
     of it. He was such a beautiful little horse. 
     
     It was my biggest disappointment on the 
     
    
   
   
    
     racetrack. " 
     
    
   
   
    
     I asked Jody what best piece of adyice he 
     
     would giye a youngster contemplating a 
     
     career in the racing industry. After four 
     
     decades of inyolyement with consider— 
     
     able success. Jody was well qualified to 
     
     answer this important question. "\\"hen 
     
     you get hooked up in the race game. it is 
     
     your life. if you are going to do it. then 
     
     do it properly. The horses control your 
     
     whole life. You get up in the morning 
     
     and it is horses seyen days a week. If 
     
     you are not going to commit yourself 
     
     seyen days a week and giye the horses 
     
     your attention and work hard. then try 
     
     something else. There is much more to 
     
     this game than being on the track driying. 
     
     Keep things tidy. Keep your barn like 
     
     you would like to keep your home. 
     
     .\lake people want to come to your barn. 
     
     Pay attention to what you are doing. 
     
     Neyer mind what the fellow next door or 
     
     down the yard is doing. Do your own 
     
     iob always to the best of your ability." 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     Behind the Gate 
     
    
   
   
    
     Jody‘s wife. Shelley, was a teacher at 
     
     Charlottetown Rural High School. Her 
     
     lineage went back to the famous Joe 
     
     O'Brien and she loyed horses as much as 
     
     Jody. Shelley‘s mother. Donna Saunders 
     
     was a daughter of Leigh ()‘Brien who 
     
     was a brother to Joe ()‘Brien. Jody stat- 
     
     ed. "liyerything we do. we do as a team.“ 
     
     Horse racing was a hobby for this couple 
     
     who both loyed the game. They resided 
     
     on a farm in Summeryille with a small 
     
     barn and paddock for their broodmare 
     
     .Uruab's Ac/on [7/2 and her progeny. 
     
     They had no plans to increase the size of 
     
     their barn or the number of their horses. 
     
     lt wouldnt be surprising to see Shelley 
     
     training some horses on the track and 
     
     doing it well. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Two of the local horseman that have 
     
     worked in the Jody llennessey Stable in 
     
     the past were Ron .\Iatheson and Don 
     
     .\Iacl)ougall. Colin Johnson got his start 
     
     in the game with this stable at Exhibition 
     
     Park Raceway in Saint John. Jody was 
     
     operating his own stable at age 18 but 
     
     before that he worked in the stables of 
     
     Joe llennessey. .\Iike MacDonald and 
     
    
   
   
    
     Duncan .\Iac’l‘ayish. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Jody admired and got yaluable pointers 
     
     from some \‘ery talented horseman like 
     
     Joe llennessey. Jack Bernard. James 
     
     .\lac(}regor. Basil \‘y'helan. (Ilark Smith. 
     
    
   
   
    
     "When you gez‘ booked up in the race game, 2'! zlsyoitr life. 
     
    
   
   
    
     [fyozt are going to do if, then do it properly... ” 
     
    
   
   
    
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