Life-Changer
A year after Wakizashi Hanover won the $1 million (Cdn) Pepsi North America Cup his trainer, Jo Ann Looney-King, is still overcome with the enormity of the victory.
by Dave Little
It was 363 days ago, but trainer Jo Ann Looney-King remembers a lot of what happened that evening. A whole lot, in fact.
Her Wakizashi Hanover upset Wiggle It Jiggleit, the pacer that would become the Horse of the Year, in the $1 million (Cdn) Pepsi North America Cup by three-quarters-of-a-length in 1:48. For someone whoās been training horses for 40 years alongside her husband Jim, and whose parents and parents-in-law also spent a lifetime in the harness game, that win was special.
āIn the elimination, Wakizashi was giant,ā said Looney-King. āBut in the final, I said, āI know Iām going to be happy to be second because I know how hard it will be to beat (Wiggle It Jiggleit).ā Everybody picked Wiggle It Jiggleit, but thatās okay because heās a great horse. But getting a good trip and having a driver that gets you in winning position is crucial for beating a horse like that. And thatās what we had. Tim (Tetrick) knows how to get it done. Thatās certainly no secret. That was one huge key. Itās really funny how itās so hard to get a horse to peak when you are going for that much money. Itās just an amazing thing when a horse peaks when heās going for a million dollars. Thatās just great timing. Sometimes you have nothing to do with that.ā
The trainer was her usual excited, fidgety self at race time for the 2015 Cup.
āIām pretty emotional during a race,ā said Looney-King. āI donāt stand there or sit down and watch a race. Iām over here, Iām over there. If you canāt get excited about it, what are you doing it for? Thatās part of the fun.
A year later, Looney-King is still overwhelmed by the enormity of the win and the effect itās had on her life.
āTo my dying day, I will think of that stretch run every day. To see our horse pull up beside a great horse like Wiggle and then go past him, is, I just donāt know. I didnāt want to leave the winnerās circle. We have the DVD of that race, and Iāve watched it numerous times. My grandson can actually announce the whole race. I was standing by Brenda Teague (connections of Wiggle It Jiggleit) at the time, and after the race, Brenda hugged me and congratulated me. Weāve been family friends for years. She was truly happy for us. So was George (Teague). I can still see that horse going by him.
āIt was my greatest moment in the game. Itās been life-changing for us. We raced claimers most of our lives. Weāve done well. But when a horse like that takes you places youāve never been before, itās an amazing thing. We are not colt people. Colt people go out and they spend hundreds of thousands on colts. We donāt do that. We have raceway stock. So here comes a horse who takes you to the North America Cup. All Iāve ever done is sit home and watch it, and think, āOh, wouldnāt it be nice to race in that?ā and never given it another thought. But then to actually be there and win. You canāt believe it happened to you. That was just a great, great night.ā
But, like with all horsepeople, potholes sometimes appear on the smoothest super highways.
Wakizashi Hanover has yet to race as a four-year-old in 2016 after having a throat procedure performed to increase air flow.
āHeās got to tell us when heās ready to go,ā Looney-King said. āHe qualified last week at Harrington. He had a throat operation. It had to be done, because he wasnāt going anyplace without it. We werenāt thrilled with his qualifier, so heās going to qualify again next Tuesday at Philadelphia. Heās going to have to tell us what we are going to do next. Weāre hoping he can go on. But heās got to go out there and pace in 1:47 and 1:48. Is he going to be able to do that? Was his procedure successful enough? Itās something we are hoping for the best. Physically, heās gorgeous. Always been a happy horse. Nothing bothers him. He can blend in anyplace in any stall after 10-12 hours on the truck. Iām hoping he gets the opportunity to race. We just donāt know yet.ā
While waiting for Wakizashi to give the go-ahead for his return, Looney-King has other things to do, such as training the horse that beat 2015 Hambletonian winner Pinkman in the final leg of the Graduate Series at Tioga Downs on Sunday (June 12).
Maestro Blue Chip, a $90,000 purchase by Richard Poillucci at the Meadowlands sale earlier this year, was a determined winner on the front end in 1:53.4 with Looney-Kingās go-to guy Tetrick driving. The four-year-old son of Credit Winner has now won 11 races this year in 12 starts and banked just under $200,000.
āThat eight hole worked out good for us,ā said Looney-King. āIt was just our day. Pinkman (who finished fourth) left with us, he made the top, then we made the top and he raced in the two hole. We know Maestroās got it in him. I donāt set myself up for disappointment, so Iām always thinking, āLetās have a good race and leave with some money.āā
That they did, and theyāll go for plenty more in the $250,000 Graduate Final on July 9 at the Meadowlands.
Things are good for Jo Ann Looney-King, but everything hasnāt always been chocolate cake and roses.
āThe first time I was sick was 30 years ago,ā said Looney-King. āI had cervical cancer. But it wasnāt then like it is today. You couldnāt Google it. It was very scary. I had two little girls. My mom found me a good doctor, took me to Manhattan and I got fixed up. Later on, I had two more cancer scares. I just had a kidney removed three years ago. But Iām pretty good right now. There have been some issues, and I think, āHow did I ever get through that?ā But you do it. You just do it. Thatās what everybody does.ā
She said she relies on her support system.
āMy husband is one of the happiest people I know,ā said Looney-King, who is the proud mom of Delaware harness racing media personality Heather Vitale. āHeās always got a smile on his face. When things go bad, we always have each other to depend on. Itās nice to have each other to be there when things go bad. Itās a tough business, you have to be ready for heartbreak, because you are going to get it.ā
Maybe so, but why think about that? Especially when you can fire up the DVD player and think about what happened 363 days ago. Now, that was worth remembering.