Johren was a "massive"[1] bay horse owned and bred by Harry Payne Whitney.
He was sired by Spearmint, the 1906 Grand Prix de Paris winner and a son of Australian Racing Hall of Fame and New Zealand Racing Hall of Fame inaugural inductee Carbine.
Harry Whitney had racing operations at Newmarket in England and in his native United States.
By the summer of 1918, the colt had become one of the dominant horses in American racing, winning a number of other important races including the 1918 Latonia Derby in late June, in which he beat Kentucky Derby winner Exterminator by three lengths.
[1] Retired to stud duty, Johen had modest success as a sire.