John Henry (March 9, 1975 – October 8, 2007) was an American championThoroughbredracehorse. He was sired by Ole Bob Bowers (byPrince Blessed) out of Once Double (byDouble Jay). John Henry had 39 wins with $6,591,860 in earnings, was twice voted theEclipse Award for Horse of the Year, and was listed as #23 onBlood Horse magazine'sTop 100 U.S. Racehorses of the 20th Century.
The horse was named after thefolk heroJohn Henry. As a colt, John Henry had a habit of tearing steel water and feed buckets off stall walls and stomping them flat. This reminded his owners of the legendary John Henry, who was known as a "steel-drivin' man".[citation needed][2] He wasgelded both for his temperament as well as his lack of good breeding, which meant that he would have been unlikely to be in much demand as a breeding stallion. John Henry was aGolden Chance Farm foal. His sire, Ole Bob Bowers, was sired byPrince Blessed and his dam, Once Double, was sired byDouble Jay, agraded stakes race winner.
John Henry was back at the knee (a flaw inconformation that generally makes a long racing career unlikely), undersized, and plainly bred. He was sold as a yearling for $1,100 at theKeeneland January Mixed sale to John Callaway who is credited with giving John Henry his name.
John Henry had a series of trainers, and earned money in minor stakes, allowance races, and mid-level claiming races. In 1978,New York City businessman Sam Rubin and his wife Dorothy paid $25,000 sight-unseen for the three-year-old John Henry. Racing under the Rubins'Dotsam Stable banner, he was first conditioned bytrainerRobert Donato. Under him, John Henry won 6 of 19 starts and $120,000, starting the year as a cheap claimer and getting his firstgraded stakes win in theRound Table Handicap atArlington Park.
In 1979, John Henry was given to a new trainer, Lefty Nickerson. Under him, John Henry won 4 of 11 races in 1979. When the grass season was over in New York, Rubin decided to send the horse to California under trainerRon McAnally. Under McAnally, John Henry won six stakes races in a row.
Racing through the age of nine, John Henry won the 1981Santa Anita Handicap and repeated in 1982 afterPerrault was disqualified. He is one of only three horses with back-to-back victories in the race's 72-year history. He also won theArlington Million Stakes twice and won three renewals of both theHollywood Invitational Handicap and theOak Tree Invitational Stakes, two Grade I turf stakes in Southern California. He won one of America's most important races for older horses, the 1981Jockey Club Gold Cup atBelmont Park, at1+1⁄2 miles (2.4 km) on the dirt. This victory clinched his first Horse of the Year title, and as noted on the CBS telecast of that race (October 10, 1981,https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHexkk8Xhl0), becoming the sport's all-time leading money earner.
A bronze statue calledAgainst All Odds, created by Edwin Bogucki, stands on a balcony overlooking the paddock atArlington Park. It commemorates one of John Henry's most famous finishes; in 1981, at the inauguralArlington Million, John Henry won over 5-year-old The Bart in a photo finish.
On December 11, 1983, John Henry became the first racehorse to surpass $4 million in career earnings when he won theHollywood Turf Cup Stakes with jockeyChris McCarron atHollywood Park Racetrack.
John Henry's last race was the 1984 Ballantine Scotch Classic at theMeadowlands. As he took the lead in the stretch, Meadowlands track announcerDave Johnson exclaimed, "And down the stretch they come! The old man, John Henry, takes command!" He pulled away to his 39th career victory and his second Horse of the Year title. The final time of 2:13 equaled the track record for1+3⁄8 miles (2.2 km).
John Henry was a late entry into the Inaugural Breeders Cup in 1984 but a strained ligament in his left foreleg caused him to be withdrawn from the race and retired.
John Henry's final race record stood at 83 starts, 39 wins, 15 seconds, and 9 thirds with $6,591,860 in earnings. He was twice voted theEclipse Award for Horse of the Year in 1981 and 1984; 1981 being the first unanimous election of the winner. That feat was not repeated until 2015 when Triple Crown winnerAmerican Pharoah was also elected unanimously.[3]
After retirement, Rubin sent John Henry to the Hall of Champions atKentucky Horse Park inLexington. He joined three time Horse of the Year Forego, as well as Standardbred Rambling Willie, and Throroughbreds Rossi Gold and A Letter To Harry. The Hall Of Champions would in time become home to retired Thoroughbred championsCigar,Da Hoss andFunny Cide.[4]
Regular riderChris McCarron often described John Henry as very smart, commenting: "I'm just along for the ride." John Henry, in the view of many followers of thoroughbred racing, was one of the best come-from-behind horses (or "closers") in recent history. InThe Blood-Horse ranking of thetop 100 U.S. thoroughbred champions of the 20th Century, he was ranked #23. John Henry was inducted into theNational Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame inSaratoga Springs, New York in 1990.[5]
John Henry waseuthanized at 7:05 pmEDT (2305UTC) on October 8, 2007, at the age of 32. He developed serious kidney problems and stopped responding to veterinary treatment, so the decision was made to put him down.[4] He was buried on the night of his death in front of the Hall of Champions at a spot in front of his paddock. A memorial service was held at the park on October 19.[6]
| Sire Ole Bob Bowers 1963 | Prince Blessed 1957 | Princequillo | Prince Rose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cosquilla | |||
| Dog Blessed | Bull Dog | ||
| Blessed Again | |||
| Blue Jeans 1950 | Bull Lea | Bull Dog | |
| Rose Leaves | |||
| Blue Grass | Blue Larkspur | ||
| Camelot | |||
| Dam Once Double 1967 | Double Jay 1944 | Balladier | Black Toney |
| Blue Warbler | |||
| Broomshot | Whisk Broom | ||
| Centre Shot | |||
| Intent One 1955 | Intent | War Relic | |
| Liz F. | |||
| Dusty Legs | Mahmoud | ||
| Dustemall[7] |
