Customer Reviews

John Henry: Racing's Grand Old Man (Thoroughbred Legends (Unnumbered))

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"John Henry" is book number ten in the Thoroughbred Legends series published by the Eclipse Press out of Lexington, Kentucky.

Steve Haskin, an award-winning writer for "The Blood-Horse" tells a lively tale of the dumpy little bay horse that was back at the knees and, "like a bargain-basement sale item, ...always seemed to be available at a dirt-cheap price."

John Henry was a demon in his stall---he hated to be confined. He passed through the hands of a number of owners and trainers who thought he showed some promise as a runner, even though he was in the habit of ripping his feed tub off of the wall and hurling it down the shed row. Once, when he was stabled at a track he didn't like, John Henry did the same thing to his trainer:

"After one of the races, [John Henry] returned to the barn and was given a bath. Marino [his trainer] started walking him, and before he knew it, his jacket sleeve was in John's mouth. John picked Marino up off the ground and took off down the shed row, dragging him along. Marino was being lifted in the air and was completely helpless...'Thank God I had a goose down jacket or he would have taken a big chunk out of me,' Marino said. `That's how mad the horse was.'"

Then the trainer, Ron McAnally took in the gelding that vented his anger on his water buckets, feed tubs, and sometimes his groom, and turned him into a demon on the race track. How did the trainer do this? McAnally says it was by treating him kindly and earning John Henry's trust.

The ugly little demon-turned-race-horse repaid his trainer's kindness by earning an amazing $6.6 million in eighty-three starts and thirty-nine wins. His durability and courage became a legend, and he attracted record numbers of fans to the tracks where he ran. He won his second `Horse of the Year' title and closed out his racing career at the advanced age of nine.

John Henry and his trainer, Ron McAnally were both elected to the Thoroughbred Hall of Fame in 1990, which was only fitting.

John is now spending his retirement at the Kentucky Horse Park, and is shown to his visitors three times a day during the season (March 15th through October 31st). Go see him soon, as he turned twenty-six this year. Just don't visit the grand, old gelding on a day when he's been given medicine:

"John also hates medicine, and whenever he's given a dewormer, which is a pasty substance, he keeps it in his mouth for hours and refuses to swallow it. One time, Roby [his groom] took him out to show him several hours after he had been given the medication. `John was standing in the ring,' she said, `and all of a sudden, he blows this wormer all over the audience.'"

John still knows what he doesn't like.

After reading this heartwarming story of the ugly
horse who blooms and wins our hearts and
breaks racing records I wanted to stand up and cheer.
I was inspired to visit this living legend
and found him as mystical and charismatic in
person as related in this wonderful book.
A good book for the horse lover and for anyone
who loves the unconquerable spirit.

Haskin provides a serviceable equine biography of American horse racing's last true superstar. As one Chicago journalist recently pointed out, John Henry's life story is a close approximation of Seabiscuit's: ex-claimer with bad conformation makes very, very good. Not the fastest race horse to ever set foot on a track, John Henry often won on sheer endurance and wits--part of his allure. Most fans will find little new in the way of facts, but will nevertheless want the book for its often amusing anecdotes. Who can resist a horse who drinks coffee? (Oddly enough, one of the most famous stories told by Chris McCarron--John Henry's habit of checking the leader board after winning a race--doesn't make an appearance.) Haskin's prose does not exactly fly, and some of his more rhetorical flights are unintentionally funny. The photographs, despite a somewhat annoying layout, are well-chosen; I was particularly glad to see the award-winning photograph of John Henry regally contemplating an adulatory crowd. Overall, entertaining enough as a quick read.

John Henry, although familiar to many who follow Thoroughbred racing, was not familiar to the general public. But in his 32 years on earth, he made his presence felt both on the track and in the lives of the people who knew and loved him. The book is fanastic in that the characters jump off the page. John Henry had a singularly outrageous personality, and the specific instances cited in the book bring him to life again. The details of his races are exciting, and show the author's familiarity with the subject. Steve Haskin has that special ability to weave a great story while still sticking to the facts. Although his tales of John Henry's escapades show the intelligence and almost self awareness of book's subject, he never treat's John Henry like a human. That is all too often a mistake made by authors writing about animals. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys horse racing and who realizes that horses have very different personalities. This book made me both laugh and cry.

I loved this book, Steve H. done a marvelous job of portraying John Henry the racehorse. I love to read stories on John Henry. He was ornery but he was well respected.

Great book especially for those who are not too familiar with a very special race horse who does not get the notoriaty of a Secretariat and others. John Henry was selected Horse of the Year as a 7 year old and again as a 9 year old (unheard of)! He was that special. It's all in the book. If you liked Seabiscuit you'll also like John Henry, they had a lot in common. The hardback version is hard to find but it is now available in paperback.

Even if you follow horse racing frequently, you may not know about John Henry. Perhaps he's just a name in a record book. Then you must sit down and read this story about an "ugly duckling" type horse who was passed over by many (who later regretted their omission). If I had seen him in a sales ring, I certainly would have passed by him, perhaps quickly before he stretched out and bit me. But underneath the pitiful conformation, lackluster performances, and nasty temperament, trainer Ron McAnally discovered and refined a champion. Steve Haskin lovingly portrays the relationships of John Henry and his many owners. Most notable is the rapport established between this iron horse and his loving trainer. Eventually purchased for $25,000 by a business man who knew nothing about horses, sent to a trainer who loved his horses, John Henry would earn over six million dollars and continue winning races past the age of 9. The little gelding who could, did. Earning Horse Of The Year twice, he was every inch a champion, and his intelligence unquestionable. When Steve Haskin truly loves a horse, he writes with such passion that the love just wraps itself around you as you turn each page. All the facts and races and times are in this book, but woven in such a way that the personality of John Henry, himself, captivates and enchants the reader.