John Henry
This remarkable gelding was a two time horse of the year (1981 at age 6, and 1984 at an unheard of 9) and won over $6.5 million in earnings.
He lived to be 32 and spent the last 22 of them at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky.
From humble beginnings and 'no-name' parents, John would become one of the greatest and most tenacious heroes of horseracing history. Everyone in racing circles and thousands of simply casual fans has a story to tell about John Henry. He made a lasting impression on everyone he met.
I was lucky enough to see John up close and personal when the hubby and I went to the Horse Park back in 2000. He had an incredible reputation for being quite ornery, tempermental as hell, and just plain tough - and he was showing it when we were there, kicking the door of his stall because he thought he should be out in his paddock.
John's legacy has been memorialized by a recent addition of a bronze statue in his honor at his gravesite, just outside of that paddock I spoke of.
The statue of John Henry is unveiled by sculptor Shelley Hunter. (Great job!)
Admiring it are Kentucky Horse Park president, John Nicholson, and the founder of the John Henry Memorial Fund- Bill Oster.
Photo by Matt Goins, as featured on the Blood Horse website.
I'm so grateful to have seen this wonderful champion in person.
Not to be forgotten...
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