Editor's Note: In memory of John Henry, the legendary racehorse who died October 8, 2007, we present this article from the May 1985 issue of EQUUS magazine. In it, a panel of experts put the gelding to the test to discover exactly what made him a legend.

He is the Old Man of the racetrack and indisputably the best Thoroughbred around. For a number of years the only horse owned by Sam and Dorothy Rubin's Dotsam Stable, 10-year-old John Henry is a singular celebrity whose career statistics have rocketed him into a class of his own.

By a narrow margin, he was named 1984 Horse of the Year last February, just edging out Equusequity Stable's Slew o' Gold in the final tally. It was an at-the-wire victory, not unlike some of those the remarkable gelding has pulled off during the course of his career. The world's richest racehorse, with lifetime earnings totaling $6,597,947, he is also the only Thoroughbred ever to earn the Horse of the Year title twice in nonconsecutive years. He captured the first in 1981 when he was six. His lifetime record for 83 starts stands at 39 wins, 15 seconds and nine thirds. Six of those wins, one second and a third came from nine starts in 1984.

One of the most talented horses in track history, he is undoubtedly one of the most popular and enigmatic characters, too. John Henry has captured the attention of racing enthusiasts and the media at large both here and abroad.

An early-morning feature on NBC's Today show, for instance, highlighted the gelding's idiosyncratic trek to the track on race day, while People magazine included him among such notables as Chrysler's Lee Iacocca and ghostbusting comedian Bill Murray when it named him one of its 20 most intriguing people of 1984. The magazine's profile of the horse's career noted that "like Ronald Reagan, this geriatric marvel traveled the country from coast to coast [in 1984] and convincingly proved that the race is not always to the youngest."

St. George, a German horse magazine, seems to agree with this reasoning in a recent feature. Titled "John Henry: Nationalheld Und Publik-umsmagnet" (loosely translated, "national hero and magnet of public attention"), the article talks not so much about the horse's running ability but his racing sense--an intangible and unmeasurable quality that allows him to control a race.

As anyone who has worked with him or religiously watched him from the stands will tell you, the little bay horse with the average-looking body and captivating eyes has come a long way during his racing career. Though he won his first start as a two-year-old on a Louisiana track, he didn't really distinguish himself until late in his four-year-old year, developing from an average sprinter on dirt to the premier distance horse on grass. Now, surrounded by trainer Ron McAnally, assistant trainer Eduardo Inda, exercise rider Lewis Cenicola, groom Jose Mercado, jockey Chris McCarron and veterinarian Jack Robbins, VMD, the horse has mellowed in the six years that the Rubins have owned him from an unruly, some say roguish, youngster, castrated from his temperament as a two-year-old, to a mature racehorse.

Yet, while those who know him best talk of John Henry's sense of self, his disdain for hurry and hard work and his determination to stay in front of the pack, no one has ever been able to truly define the quality or combination of factors that make this superhorse tick. Sensitive handling and savvy campaigning obviously enter into the equation for success. But what other attributes account for the gelding's gradual development, dominant position and durability as a racehorse?

This was the question a curious EQUUS editorial staff brainstormed early last fall. John Henry had caught our eye, too, and we were determined to discover exactly what makes the Old Man of the racetrack run so consistently and so well. We knew that sports medicine could provide many of the answers we were after since it defines athletic effort in terms of measurable features and functions that can be assessed to establish racing superiority. Additionally, inside every winner's body there is a mind, a psyche, "heart" to match the heart. Desire is an element of winning we don't yet know how to measure in scientific terms, but there must be clues from which to estimate it, or it wouldn't be so universally acknowledged and cherished.

After John Henry's impressive victory in the Budweiser-Arlington Million in August 1984, McAnally's response to the always-asked "What allows the horse to keep running and winning against the best as a nine-year-old?" was "I guess it's something only the Almighty knows."

September 28, 2007 -- John Henry, the resilient racehorse who made a career out of defying the odds, has done it once again.

In mid-September, the 32-year-old Kentucky Horse Park resident started going downhill. Blood tests yielded ominous results. He lost a dramatic amount of weight. The thoroughbred's condition became so critical, in fact, that staffers began making funeral arrangements for the two-time Horse of the Year.

However, they forgot to consult John Henry. After initial treatment, he rallied the way he so often had at the track with his patented come-from-behind stretch runs. He soon made it clear he had no intention of dying on anyone else's time schedule.

John Henry is back to eating the coveted chocolate doughnut holes that the park's executive director, John Nicholson, brings on his daily pilgrimages to the feisty gelding at the Hall of Champions.

While Nicholson is encouraged by John Henry's current demeanor, "We're realistic about the prospects," he said, taking the long view. After all, 32 is a ripe old age for a horse.

But he noted John Henry' crisis brought some good with it, resulting in a flurry of visitors after his dramatic rejuvenation.

"He is enjoying the adoration that has come his way," chuckled John. Those making the trip to pay homage have included his former exercise rider, Lewis Cenicola, now a trainer, who flew all the way from California to see his old friend. Trainer Ron McAnally and jockey Chris McCarron also dropped by.

At the start of his career, however, John Henry seemed unlikely to gain much in the way of public attention. Plain-looking, he had an unfashionable sire, Ole Bob Bowers, who once sold for a mere $900. Standing only 15.1 hands and calf-kneed, John Henry did not appear to be a horse who could make history. His auction price at Keeneland, when he first went on the block, was $1,100. But his scorn of taking no for an answer, which translated into a disdain for defeat, and his irascible temperament (apparently inherited from Dad) gave him a leg up in life. As a youngster, he used to stomp his steel buckets and tubs for recreation in his stall, which was the origin of his name (remember the song that goes, "John Henry was a steel-driving man?").

He earned seven Eclipse awards and is the only horse to win the prestigious Arlington Million twice. By the end of his career, the 1980s' Racehorse of the Decade became the richest racehorse in history, with $6,591,860 to his credit.

He acts like a multi-millionaire, too. He's insistent, and his caretakers know they have no choice but to do his bidding. Yet despite his imperious nature, he has struck a chord with fans from around the world, who understand very well why this horse is special beyond what he has accomplished for the record books.

"He is a living reminder that you do not have to have a great pedigree or great advantages to become a champion," said Nicholson. "He has achieved greatness despite every obstacle, so he offers a lesson--not really about racing or even about horses--but for all of us and what we can achieve if we're simply determined."

Along those lines, Nicholson added, "The story of the last couple of weeks in my view is that he will do things, as he always has, on his own terms. He told us he'll decide when he's ready and no one else will."

Robin Bush, one of the caretakers at the Hall of Champions, said in an update on John Henry yesterday morning that, "He's actually feeling very well, eating everything in sight. He's hanging in there and mentally he's doing very well."

In a conversation punctuated by deep, insistent whinnies from John Henry ("Why are you speaking to someone else when you should be giving me your entire attention?" he seemed to be saying), she commented that he has curtailed his leisurely walks around the park as a result of his condition.

Yet while he is spending a good deal of time in his stall, "he has his back door open so he can go in his paddock when he wants to. Lately, he has been content to be in his little area, though sometimes he wants to go out on our walkway," Bush said.

John Henry is never shy about letting his minions know his desires.

"He's very demanding for whatever he wants. He'll whinny very loudly and bounce his head up and down and paw the door with his hoof and make a loud banging noise," Bush said.