SHAKOPEE, MN – Jennifer Lennox’s 18-year old gelding, “Danny”, came back to a racetrack after a 14-year absence to compete in the Skijoring competition on a gorgeous Saturday afternoon in front of 7,500 fans at Canterbury Park.

If you couldn’t tell Danny from his purple regalia or Jennifer’s unicorn hat, he was the horse that, after finishing his skijoring run, made the first turn and continued on down the backstretch like he did all those years ago.  Obviously the muscle memory runs deep in off-track Thoroughbreds.

“I don’t think he was a big winner when he ran,” Lennox, from Jordon, Minnesota said. “But he loves to run. He needs to keep moving.”

Wild About Dancin was foaled in Maryland in 2002 and plied his trade in the Mid Atlantic, breaking his maiden on December 19, 2004 at Charles Town in what turned out to be his only career win.  After four subpar efforts against winners, he left the track in 2005 and headed down a very uncertain path.

Lennox’s sister, Jackie, took Danny from a sale pen and made him her own.  He found a forever home with the Lennox family and has been there for 14 years. She showed and competed with him until recently when, Jennifer laughingly admits, she “stole him from her.”

“It’s okay,” said Jennifer. “She has my old competition horse so we really just traded.”

“We did a lot of field running to get him ready for this,” said Lennox.  She teamed up with her skiers/snowboarders Trenton Perron, Shawn Sailer and Ty Perron to get Danny ready for his skijoring debut.

“We took it slow,” she explained. “And once we were all ready, we started to let him run.”

What’s next for Danny is still unknown, but there are definitely options.

“My sister did dressage with him,” she said.  “He’s very talented with a good mind.  I really don’t have to steer him at all.  All I have to do is put my hands forward and he knows it’s time to go.”

Whether he’ll be shown, compete in dressage or do something else entirely, Jennifer will keep her boy moving.  Just the way he likes it.