Gerald Bennett trains 4,000th winner

Gerald Bennett became just the 14th trainer in North American racing history to win 4,000 races when D’craziness pulled clear to win the last race Wednesday at Tampa Bay Downs in Oldsmar, Fla.

“When you really stop and think about it for a minute, it’s a big accomplishment,” Bennett told Tampa publicity afterward. “A lot of dedication went into this.”

D’craziness, owned by Rich Averill and partners, got a great trip under Antonio Gallardo before drawing off to a two-length triumph in the last of nine Wednesday races, a $16,000 claiming race at a mile on turf. The 8-year-old horse returned $4.40 as favorite in a field of 10.

Bennett, a 77-year-old native of Nova Scotia, won his first race in 1974. He began Wednesday two shy of the milestone prior to Little Miss Sassy ($3.40) easily winning the second race.

Steve Asmussen became the all-time North American leader earlier this year and has 9,568 wins to his credit, through Tuesday. Karl Broberg (4,193) is ahead of Bennett in 13th, while the late Frank Merrill Jr. (3,974) is 15th and Tom Amoss (3,922) is 16th.