As a colt, John Henry had a habit of tearing steel water and feed buckets off stall walls and stomping them flat.

John Henry was back at the knee (a flaw in conformation that generally makes a long racing career unlikely), undersized, and plainly bred.

In 1978, New York City businessman Sam Rubin and his wife Dorothy paid $25,000 sight-unseen for the three-year-old John Henry.

He won one of America's most important races for older horses, the 1981 Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park, at 1+1⁄2 miles (2.4 km) on the dirt.

This victory clinched his first Horse of the Year title, and as noted on the CBS telecast of that race (October 10, 1981, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHexkk8Xhl0), becoming the sport's all-time leading money earner.

A bronze statue called Against All Odds, created by Edwin Bogucki, stands on a balcony overlooking the paddock at Arlington Park.

John Henry was a late entry into the Inaugural Breeders Cup in 1984 but a strained ligament in his left foreleg caused him to be withdrawn from the race and retired.

He joined three time Horse of the Year Forego, as well as Standardbred Rambling Willie, and Throroughbreds Rossi Gold and A Letter To Harry.

John Henry was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs, New York in 1990.