John Henry: Racing's Grand Old Man Book

If you only read one book in the Thoroughbred Legends series, make it this one. This is arguably the best writer of the 10 or so books I've read in the series so far. He's the best because he centers the book around John Henry himself -- his quirks, his bad habits and his good habits.

Usually in the introduction of a Thoroughbreds Legends book, the author talks about how he or she is personally connected to the horse. Not here. We get something better -- the story of John Henry's traumatic reaction to realizing he was being moved permanently to the Kentucky Horse Park. That's not the reaction I thought a horse would have being placed in a cushy forever home.

Once upon a time, horses could race more then one or two years. They could do it without drugs. They were cared for by people willing to work with the horse and not seek to utterly master the horse. Hores got individual care because trainers wouldn't take on more horses than they could manage. John Henry was one of the last horses in this real-life story.

The author includes a lot of interesting details in the story of John Henry's life, but does leave out details like Breyer making a model horse of him and that NBC had a television outside of John Henry's stall so he could "watch" his fellow Horse of the Year competition run in the first Breeder's Cup Classic. But the details included make for a fast-paced and fascinating read.

Back in 1999, I'd planned on a trip to the Kentucky Horse Park. Because of financial difficulties and health problems, I never got to go. It was a big blow because it meant I never got to meet John Henry or Cigar. This books makes up for it, for in a way I got to meet John Henry through this book.