by Murray Brown

Dr. John Hennessey started working around horses when he was 13. At the age of 60, he has yet to stop.

He is a native Prince Edward Islander (PEI). On a pro rata basis, it’s likely that PEI has produced more horsepeople than any other geographical entity in North America and perhaps anywhere else.

At a very young age, Hennessey had three loves in his life: horses, tennis and the Montreal Canadiens. His tennis days are long past, but he is still a Canadiens fan and next to his family, horses are the greatest passion in his life. They have also been the means to him making a good living.

When did you first begin working with horses?

“My horse career began in PEI at the age of 13. I worked around the stables and with the horses in all my spare time. I swam horses in the ocean in summer when school was out. Horses at that time weren’t the only thing that kept me occupied. I was a nationally ranked tennis player as a pre-teen and as a teenager. Tennis is a sport which requires a whole lot of time and dedication. At age 14, my dad, my coach and my best friend, passed away. I felt I no longer had the time nor the dedication to continue playing the game.

“I continued working around the horses until it became time to decide a career path. I had always been a pretty decent student, so I set my mind on medicine. Eventually, it came down to a choice between medical school, exercise physiology and veterinary medicine. I went with veterinary medicine. The deciding factor was likely because I love being outdoors and veterinary medicine specializing with horses promised me that. Of course, Canadian winters probably fell from my clear thinking.

“I was in the first graduating class of the UPI Atlantic Veterinary College in 1990.

I initially went to work in Montreal. When racing ceased at Blue Bonnets, I moved to Ontario and I’ve been here ever since.”

One of the first people you did work for Keith Waples?

“I was still wet behind the ears. I had been out of vet school for only a few weeks and my good friend Sonny Edwards recommended me to Keith Waples. Keith had a colt named Silver Almahurst that he had shipped to Montreal to race in the Prix de l’Avenir. Keith had me look over the colt. I ventured that I thought he might need a little help with his knees. Keith said, ‘Go ahead and get them done then.’ No sooner had I injected him, both knees blew up to the size of softballs. I immediately borrowed Mike MacDonald’s truck and trailer and took him to the veterinary college in St. Hyacinthe. The horse had an allergic reaction to the injections. The college hospital flushed his knees and almost immediately, they returned to normal. Three days later, Silver Almahurst won the Prix de l’Avenir and went on to become a great horse.”

You’ve done work for many outstanding horsemen.

“I’ve been very fortunate. To a great degree, you might say that my professional life began to flourish when I moved my practice to Ontario. I actually had a bit of a head start. I had done work for my good friend Gregg McNair while I was in Montreal. When I arrived in Ontario, Gregg pretty well gave me most of his work. I soon got more accounts. Since then, I’ve been lucky enough to work for some of and maybe the majority of the great trainers in North America. I’m sure I’ll leave some out. For that I apologize.

“It seems that most of the American trainers that ship up north to race have headed in my direction. Among those that I’ve done work for through the years are: Jimmy Takter, Tony Alagna, Joe Holloway, Carl and Rod Allen, Jimmy Campbell, Fred Grant, Bruce Riegle, Brent MacGrath, Linda Toscano, Brian and Tim Pinske, George Teague, Roger Hammer and John Butenschoen.

“On the home front, I still do work for Gregg McNair, Walter Whelan, Herb Holland, Mark and Shawn Steacy, the Hensleys, Brent MacGrath, Ben Wallace, the Cullen family, Paul MacDonell, Chris Christoforou, Dave Menary and quite a few others.”

How about the horses you’ve worked with?

“I’ve been fortunate enough to have worked with a lot of great and probably more not so great horses. I’m a firm believer that most great horses do not need a whole lot of veterinary work. They are healthy. That’s probably one of the main reasons why they are as great as they are.

“I traveled with Somebeachsomewhere throughout his racing career. Brent MacGrath and I are good friends. I consult with him on a continuing basis with Beach Glass. This past season, I worked with Jack Darling and Johnny Mallia on Bulldog Hanover. What a magnificent horse he is. Without being too verbose, others that I was fortunate enough to work with were: Cambest, Jennas Beach Boy, Perfect Sting, Gallo Blue Chip, Modern Art, Sylvia Hanover, King Of The North, the previously mentioned Silver Almahurst and a good many others.”

How would you rate the trainers you’ve done work for through the years?

1. Joe Holloway

2. Brian and Tim Pinske

3. Bill Wellwood

4. Jim Campbell

5. Tie between Carl Allen and Carl Jamieson

And the drivers you’ve seen?

1. John Campbell

2. Michel Lachance

3. Bill O’Donnell

4. Dexter Dunn

5. Tim Tetrick or Yannick Gingras

What is it in the sport you most enjoy doing?

“Over a period of time, I’d probably say going to Harrisburg each year. There were so many fond memories spent there. One of the first times I went, I drove down from Montreal with Duncan MacTavish and John Ferguson. I was starstruck. I have been a Montreal Canadiens fan for as long as I can remember. Here I was spending a week with one of their greatest players ever and a long time idol of mine.

“One of the great appeals of Harrisburg to me has been that whatever you are looking for and regardless of the size of your bankroll, you can find it there. I have always been what you might call a bottom feeder. I’ve never had a large bankroll at the sale. I’m always looking for that diamond in the rough — a real good horse for a reasonable price — aren’t we all?

“One of the very few times I’ve had what was for me a considerable amount of money to spend was at the 2016 sale. I went there looking to buy a Chapter Seven filly. I had it all whittled down to two of them. The first one Seven Buy Eleven sold for more than I had to spend. The second one was a filly named Django Unchained. I really wanted Django Unchained. She was the one I liked the most. I was standing in the back walking ring when Rick Zeron came by and asked me if there was anything I really liked. I pointed to Django Unchained and told him that was the best filly in the sale. I told Ricky I was going to try to buy her. Rick hadn’t seen her previously. He looked at her as she was walking in the ring. He asked me how much I was willing to spend. I told him about $45,000. He asked me if I would mind if I didn’t get her for the money I had to spend, if it would be alright if he began bidding for his account. I said it would be fine, because at that point I would be out of the picture anyway. She quickly exceeded my limit and Zeron ended up buying her for $60,000. At that point, he hadn’t yet seen her other than in the walking ring. Wouldn’t you know, they got rid of her old cumbersome name and changed it to Atlanta. She was truly the one that got away.”

You are now 60. What does the future hold for you?

“I’ve somewhat scaled down the size of my operation. I realize I cannot continue doing this forever, especially at that volume. Nevertheless, I intend to keep going on a smaller scale for as long as my body and mind are capable of doing it in a satisfactory manner. Throughout my busy career over the last 30 years, my wife Sarah has done a fantastic job balancing life and my practice in helping to raise two wonderful kids; actually young adults.

“My son Cody is a veterinarian specializing with small animals. I tried to steer him in that direction knowing that working with horses doesn’t allow much time for a stable family lifestyle.

“My daughter Emma is entering her final year of medical school. Last year, she was awarded the Dean’s Award for highest marks in a class of 160 students. The success of my kids and how they can contribute to the world are Sarah’s and my greatest accomplishment.”