by Anne Peters
It's unusual when a turf horse gets recognition beyond his favorite surface, so for Wise Dan to be voted champion turf male of 2012, champion older male, and Horse of the Year shows how dominating he is.
Top 10 geldings of the past 75 years have provided some of racing's top thrills. See our full feature in the August 11, 2012 issue of The Blood-Horse!
Lewis Cenicola, a California-based trainer perhaps best known as the exercise rider for the legendary John Henry, died Jan. 8 at 66.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012Baron Thierry von Zuylen, who raced 1982 Eclipse Award winner Perrault, died Jan. 2 in London.
Thursday, January 06, 2011
Rank these past winners of the Arlington Million. Compare your rankings to the rest of the BloodHorse.com community.
Jon White remembers John Henry, 25 years after his retirement.
A new documentary called "John Henry: a Steel Driving Racehorse" has been rolled out by Open Sky Entertainment, in cooperation with Launchpad Releasing.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Crowd of 35,292 takes in two grade I races; Breeders' Cup Classic winner paraded and John Henry statue unveiled.
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Santa Anita Park, which opened on Dec. 25, 1934, will celebrate its 75th anniversary season beginning with opening day, Saturday, Dec. 26, with a special early first post time of 11:30 a.m. PDT.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
A life-sized bronze statue of the legendary John Henry will be unveiled by his Hall of Fame trainer Ron McAnally at Santa Anita Park's picturesque paddock gardens Dec. 26, opening day of the track's 75th anniversary meet.
Friday, December 04, 2009
Two-time champion and 1988 Horse of the Year Alysheba returned to his Kentucky roots Oct. 31 and took up residence at the Kentucky Horse Park's Hall of Champions, where he will be admired by the fans he thrilled in his Hall of Fame career.
Friday, October 31, 2008
When Shelley Hunter was asked by officials at the Kentucky Horse Park to create a sculpture of legendary racehorse John Henry earlier this year, she not only felt honored, but a strong sense of karma.
Monday, October 06, 2008In an attempt to improve the unwanted horse situation, the Kentucky Horse Park will host the first annual John Henry Memorial Equine Adoption Fair June 28, named for the late champion who passed away at the park last fall.
Friday, May 09, 2008ReRun, the Thoroughbred adoption group, is having a Moneigh auction on Ebay that ends the day after the May 3 Kentucky Derby.
Friday, May 02, 2008By Bruce Greene - I have been to the racetrack thousands of times. From Churchill Downs on Derby day, to the Humboldt County Fair in Ferndale on Marathon day. I have memories of tracks and champions that no longer exist.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008The Kentucky Horse Park, longtime home of the late John Henry, has been honored with the 2007 Special Eclipse Award, presented by the National Turf Writers Association, Daily Racing Form, and the NTRA.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
John Henry garnered nearly 4,000 votes in a poll held by www.kentucky.com and the Lexington Herald-Leader, narrowly defeating pastor Jon Weece to win the "Most Intriguing Kentucky Newsmaker of 2007," it was announced Dec. 28.
Friday, December 28, 2007
Kona Gold has been invited to live the rest of his life at the Hall of Champions at the Kentucky Horse Park near Lexington, according to a release from his co-owners Andrew and Irvin Molasky.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
One of the last "Moneigh" paintings done by the late John Henry is up for bids in an eBay auction held by ReRun, the ex-racehorse adoption program.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007By - Dan Liebman It was a routine early December night in Kentucky, when suddenly residents of South Frankfort were startled by late night fireworks. The pyrotechnics display from near the state capitol could mean only one thing -- Kentucky's first female governor had closed the deal to land the Toyota manufacturing plant.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
The legendary John Henry was remembered at a memorial service Oct. 19 at the Kentucky Horse Park, where he lived the last 23 years of his life.
Friday, October 19, 2007
HorseRacing TV will present live coverage of the public memorial for the great John Henry from the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington Oct. 19, beginning at 2 p.m. (EST), the network announced Oct. 18.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
HorseRacing TV's weekly "Across The Board" show will deviate from its customary half-hour format to present a one-hour edition saluting the career of the legendary gelding John Henry.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007By Amy Zimmerman - There are other places in this magazine where you can read about John Henry's humble beginnings, his legendary racing career, and his wonderful retirement. This is not about that.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
John Henry is remembered by those who knew him best throughout his racing career and during his retirement at the Kentucky Horse Park.
Monday, October 15, 2007
Michael Blowen, president and founder of Old Friends, announced the Thoroughbred retirement facility would partner with Bill Oster and the Kentucky Horse Park to create a privately funded memorial for John Henry, who was euthanized Oct. 8 due to the infirmities of old age. He was 32.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Celebrate the life of John Henry with our slideshow presentation of his career on the racetrack and as a beacon for the sport at the Kentucky Horse Park.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
It was a shock to hear John Henry had died, even though he had been in ill health and was 32 years old. Some things, like the mighty Redwoods, seem eternal, and John always was eternal in my mind. Or perhaps that feeling was more rooted in my heart. I always believed that John would not die until he was good and ready. It was apparent upon hearing the news that this was that time.
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
John Henry, the 32-year-old legendary gelding who has been at the Kentucky Horse Park since 1985, was euthanized at 7 p.m. Oct. 8.
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
By Eric Mitchell - It's been almost 20 years since I'd seen the Old Man, and the first time for Matthew. You know how time gets away. The Old Man's health has not been too good lately so a visit was essential.
Monday, September 24, 2007
John Henry, the 32-year-old Thoroughbred who is the richest gelding in history, has had several good days following a tentative period at the end of last week.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007If you've visited the Kentucky Horse Park sometime in the past few months, you might have noticed a small, dark brown gelding, utterly unremarkable apart from his obvious age, walking with purpose with bright eyes and pricked ears among the sleek and shiny show horses. Step a little closer and read the engraved plate on his halter: you're looking at John Henry.
Wednesday, August 15, 2007By Ray Paulick - The Tin Man and John Henry have more in common than grade I victories at the ripe old age of 9.
Wednesday, May 30, 2007ReRun's selection of Moneighs by classic contenders and champions will appear on eBay beginning May 20. The popular paintings created by famous racehorses including John Henry, Victory Gallop, and Kentucky Derby (gr. I) winners Giacomo and Gato del Sol are sold to benefit ReRun's retired Thoroughbreds in need of second careers.
Wednesday, May 09, 2007HorseRacing TV will re-air its original presentation of "John Henry: Standing Tall at 30" Friday, Mar. 2 at 8 p.m. ET. The gelding is the nation's oldest champion and will celebrate his 32nd birthday in early March.
Wednesday, February 28, 2007Twenty-five years after legendary John Henry became the first two-time winner of the Santa Anita Handicap (gr. I), Santa Anita will mark the occasion by honoring the great gelding, along with retired Hall of Fame jockey Laffit Pincay, Jr., who rode John Henry to his first Big 'Cap victory in 1981.
Monday, January 15, 2007ReRun, a 501(c)(3) non-profit adoption organization, announced April 24 that a select group of its signature "Moneigh" paintings created by past Kentucky Derby (gr. I) winners and other notable racehorses are now available on eBay.
Tuesday, April 25, 2006Two internationally known jockeys, Steve Cauthen and Chris McCarron, will help open an exhibit at the Lexington History Museum as a part of the "Best of the Bluegrass" celebration leading up to the 2006 Blue Grass Stakes (gr. I) at Keeneland.
Tuesday, February 28, 2006Sam Rubin, who raced two-time Horse of the Year John Henry, died Feb. 13 in Palm Beach, Fla.
Tuesday, February 21, 2006With 7,141 wins, and more than $264 million in purses, retired Hall of Fame jockey Chris McCarron knows something about the craft of riding horses. Speaking as a guest of the Kentucky Thoroughbred Farm Manager's Club Tuesday, McCarron said it was time to pass this knowledge on.
Wednesday, October 05, 2005The Oak Tree Racing Association, internationally acclaimed equine artist Fred Stone, and a number of the nation's top jockeys will join forces at Santa Anita Oct. 1, to raise money for victims of Hurricane Katrina.
Tuesday, September 13, 2005A crowd of more than 200 fans and friends of John Henry gathered Wednesday afternoon to wish the five-time Eclipse Award winner a happy 30th birthday at the Kentucky Horse Park near Lexington.
Wednesday, March 09, 2005HorseRacing TV will celebrate the 30th birthday of the five-time Eclipse Award winner John Henry with a one-hour special presentation of the gelding's record 12 stakes victories at Santa Anita. "Standing Tall: John Henry at 30," will air at 11 a.m. ET (8 a.m. PT) March 9 without commentary and will feature the dozen stakes wins wire-to-wire with the original track announcers' calls.
Tuesday, March 08, 2005The 30th birthday of two-time Horse of the Year and five-time Eclipse Award winner John Henry will be celebrated Wednesday at the Kentucky Horse Park near Lexington, Ky.
Monday, March 07, 2005Godolphin's Sulamani has been nominated to defend his title in the Arlington Million (gr. IT), it was announced today by the Arlington Park racing office. He headlines a group of 97 international runners nominated the signature event of the Chicago racing season. This year's Million will be run Aug. 14.
Wednesday, June 09, 2004A film crew for 60 Minutes II film crew visited the Kentucky Horse Park's Hall of Champions Friday to capture footage of jockey Jerry Bailey's annual visit with the legendary Cigar.
Friday, April 09, 2004Retired New York trainer V.J. "Lefty" Nickerson, a huge influence on the career of Hall of Fame conditioner Richard Mandella, died March 26 in his sleep at his Smithtown, N.Y., home.
Saturday, March 27, 2004Age hasn't slowed With Anticipation one step. The 9-year-old gelding drilled five furlongs under jockey Pat Day in 1:00 3/5 over Gulfstream Park's main track Thursday for trainer Jonathan Sheppard. With Anticipation was tuning up for the Feb. 22 Gulfstream Park Breeders' Cup Handicap (gr. IT).
Thursday, February 19, 2004By Ray Paulick -- Shoemaker served as a spiritual leader and confidant to a new generation of riders.
Tuesday, October 14, 2003Milwaukee Brew, one of only two horses to win multiple runnings of the Santa Anita Handicap (gr. I), injured an ankle during Sunday's running of the Pacific Classic (gr. I) and will not race again this year.
Tuesday, August 26, 2003