In any sport, there are legends of varying degree. In Thoroughbred racing, there are legends like Gallant Fox, and then there are legends like Secretariat.
In the long and colorful history of Thoroughbred racing there’s a wealth of heartwarming stories, but few can match the exhilarating rags-to-riches saga of John Henry.
The above verse, part of a short poem titled “Old Bones,” was affectionately written by Guy McGee and published in the Daily Racing Form on June 22, 1922. Through the years, relatively few racehorses have inspired people to publish poetry in their honor, but then again, few horses have ever sparked the imagination of racing fans quite like Old Bones, the legendary Exterminator.
The Breeders’ Cup World Championships headed into its fourth year of existence firmly established as a signature event to accompany the springtime Triple Crown, and in 1987 it returned to the track where it was launched in 1984, Hollywood Park in Los Angeles.
