John Henry

Now in paperback, John Henry continues to entertain horse racing and sports fans with its true rags to riches tale. A plain brown, small, bad-tempered animal, John Henry was the horse no one wanted until he was purchased sight unseen for $25,000 by Sam Rubin, a man who knew nothing about horses, except which end bit and which end kicked. Entrusted to California-based trainer Ron McAnally, John Henry blossomed into a star. Named Horse of the Year in 1981 as a six years old - an age when most racehorses are enjoying retirement - John Henry continued to race at the top level of the sport through the age of nine, when he was voted Horse of the Year for the second time. He retired as all-time leading money earner in 1984 with more than $6 million and today lives a life of luxury at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington.