It’s always the anniversary of something, better known as the last refuge of a lazy columnist. But this one is real. Forty years ago, in the afterglow of a sporting world still buzzing from the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, horse racing’s most beloved personality came to a Chicago suburb to win the Arlington Million (G1T) for the second time in only its fourth race.
John Henry was that horse. Say the name out loud. There were few like him before he came along, and no one even remotely resembling him. He had the backstory of Seabiscuit, the stamina of Kelso, and the dramatic panache of Forego, along with the enduring adoration of an audience that extended far beyond the confines of the Thoroughbred world. Plus, he lived to be 32, which only makes sense, because John Henry hated to lose.
He was good to the last drop, too. The 1984 Arlington Million was the 81st start of a career that began in upstate Louisiana at Jefferson Downs and has been long over since 1992. At age 9, John Henry had won his last four starts and was ready for more, but a strained ligament suffered in the fall prevented him from running in the inaugural Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1T) at Hollywood Park and ultimately spelled the end of the fairytale.
John Henry’s ’84 Million comes to mind because the modern version of the Million was celebrated on August 11th in Colonial Downsis located just off the eastern stretch of I-64 in Virginia, about halfway between Richmond and Williamsburg. That’s a long way from Arlington Park, where the Million began and belongs. But with Arlington reduced to rubble thanks to Churchill Downs Inc.’s sale to real estate speculators, the Million needed a new home.
Due to bad weather, the Million and its companion races – the Beverly D. Stakes (G2T) and the Secretariat Stakes (G2T) – were postponed from the previous day. The same applies to the Saratoga Derby Invitational Stakes (G1T) and the Fourstardave Handicap (G1T) in the wet Saratoga RacetrackThis group has pounced on an unusually rich Sunday menu, which will begin abroad with the 2023 Eclipse turf champion. Inspiring She wants to boost her momentum in the Prix Jacques le Marois (G1) at Deauville and later present a Best Pal Stakes (G3) with five horses in Del Marand the 89th edition of the Longacres Mile in Emerald Downs.
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It’s unfair to compare the field of the 1984 Million to the group of six that were lured to Colonial Downs on Sunday. But let’s do it anyway. At least there’s some international flavor, in keeping with the Million’s most important directive, issued by Arlington’s Joe Joyce decades ago.
Ancient Rome last in second place with half a length lead Quddwah in Ascot’s Anne Cowley Summer Mile Stakes (G2) for Charlie Hills, will be hoping for more of the easy American money he picked up in last year’s Mint Millions Stakes (G3T). Kentucky Downs.
And what would a major North American grass race be without the other English Charlie – that Appleby? He has already won nine grade prizes on this side of the pond in 2024 and will look to add another with National pride whose passport reads as if he were on the run from Interpol. After races in Dubai, Germany, Canada and Bahrain, he comes in second behind his stablemate in a dead heat to the Million Measured time in the Manhattan Stakes (G1T) at Saratoga in June.
Old John Henry faced 11 tough opponents in 1984, including Majesty’s Prince, who had just won the Sword Dancer Handicap (G1T). Belmont Parkand Nijinsky’s Secret, which came a close third in the 1983 Millions.
The international contingent included Hot Touch and Muscatite from England and Crystal Glitters and Mourjane from France, all of whom had solid credentials. Charlie Whittingham was still trying to beat John Henry, so he brought Dahar and Gato del Sol from California. John Gosden had been preparing Royal Heroine all summer for the Million, and she was in top form. And since Jerry Fanning had beaten John Henry on dirt in the 1984 Hollywood Gold Cup (G1) with Desert Wine, he figured why not give the son of Damascus a chance to do the same on turf.
After winning the first million in 1981, John Henry skipped the second because he had a minor injury. In the 1983 rerun, he was ambushed by the three-year-old British horse Tolomeo and lost by a neck. This race gave Chris McCarron recurring nightmares that he was determined to get rid of in 1984.
“I wanted to make sure I stayed within Nijinsky’s secret,” McCarron said. “He cost me the race the year before when he drifted off the fence and let Tolomeo make room there.”
Meanwhile, Fernando Toro had to give an acoustic signal after Royal Heroine drew the box with the number 1.
“If you look straight through the gate in that post, you’re pointing straight at the rail on the turn,” Toro said recently. “I had no choice but to get out of there as best I could. One more post and I could have gotten some cover. As it was, nobody else wanted the lead anyway, so I took what they gave me.”
While Toro negotiated the tricky angle at the start, John Henry bounced off the gate and found his perfect stride. His sheepskin shadow roll bobbed up and down in a rhythm that trainer Ron McAnally compared to the steady pumping of an oil rig. McCarron sat coolly on John Henry and enjoyed a ride on the inside behind Royal Heroine and the outside behind Nijinsky’s Secret.
They reached the finish in the same formation, although Nijinsky’s Secret was clearly on the ropes. Toro, the king of the Californian turf, allowed Royal Heroine to drift slightly to the right, a maneuver that didn’t fool McCarron for a moment. A more trusting soul would have accepted the invitation, but then the door was slammed in her face.
“It was worth a try,” Toro said, laughing. “Chris said to me after the race, ‘I’ve raced against you long enough not to fall for that trick.'”
As Nijinsky’s Secret faltered, McCarron pushed John Henry to the outside, moved up a gear and caught Royal Heroine at the eighth post.
John Henry wins the 1984 Arlington Million at Arlington Park
“Knowing what a top-notch mare she is, I thought she would put up a pretty good fight,” McCarron said. “But I was in a good mood. I could feel John was going full steam ahead. By the eighth pole at the finish, I was saying, ‘Don’t fall off.'”
The margin was one length and three quarters. John Henry went on to win the Turf Classic (G1T) at Belmont Park, the Ballantine’s Scotch Classic Handicap at Meadowlands and his second Eclipse Award Horse of the Year title. Royal Heroine finished her season with victories in the inaugural Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1T) and the Matriarch Stakes (G1T) at Hollywood Park, as well as championship honors as champion grass mare.
“You know, I never felt bad about finishing second in the Million that year,” Toro said. “It was like John Gosden said after the race – it took a champion to beat a champion.”
