Trainer Mark Hennig won his 1,000th race Nov. 11 when Dinner Break captured the sixth race on closing night at Meadowlands Nov. 10.
Hennig began his training career in 1992 when his main client was Barry Irwin and his syndicate, Team Valor.
He won his first race with Arabian Ace at Hollywood Park in July 1992.
Hennig, 42, the son of trainer John Hennig, assisted Jack Van Berg and D. Wayne Lukas after getting started in the business with his father and trainer Neil Howard. The Mansfield, Ohio, native joined Lukas in 1987, working as an assistant in New York for two years. Lukas entrusted Hennig with a division competing at Churchill Downs, Keeneland, Gulfstream Park and other racetracks.
Star of Cozzene provided Hennig with his first stakes winner in the San Gabriel Handicap (gr. III) at Santa Anita on Jan. 1, 1993, his first full year as a trainer. Hennig ranked ninth in the nation in earnings in '93 with $4,168,857. He won six graded stakes that year, including the Santa Anita Derby (gr. I) with Personal Hope and the Arlington Million (gr. IT) with Star of Cozzene.
In his career, Hennig also has 969 runner-up and 830 third-place finishes from 6,255 starters which have earned $53,060,907 through Nov. 10. He has had more than 90 grades stakes wins.
He formed a public stable in 1995, largely due to the support of Edward P. Evans, with whom he has since split. As of Nov. 11, Hennig ranks 41st in the nation in 2007 with purse earnings of $2,621,313. His record this year is 52-52-52 with 378 starters.
Hennig now lives in Garden City, N.Y., along with his wife, Rosemary, and their children.
Mark Hennig
