John Henry Horse Of The Year Bronze Circa 1982 Eclipse Champion Bronze By Marcel Jovine Artists Proof Start Price USD 8,995.00 Current Price USD 8,995.00 Time Left 28 days 17 hours 7 minutes Bid Count 0 Buy It Now Price - Reserve Price - Start Time Saturday, November 08, 2008 End Time Friday, February 06, 2009 Location Rockland County See more about 'John Henry Horse Of The Year Bronze Circa 1982' Description John Henry Horse Of The Year Bronze Circa 1982 by Marcel Jovine  The Artists Proof John Henry Bronze Horse of The Year Edition.  Mint Condition   A classic Centerpiece for the Discerning Collector Offered for the purchase consideration - One lucky buyer can acquire the artist's proof by noted sculptor Marcel Jovine (see biography below) of The Horse of the Year Bronze of John Henry circa 1982.  The edition was limited to 150 bronzes. All bronzes of this edition were not cast 50 of these grand bronzes were cast -, This is the original an artists proof (Remarqued: OV/82 Marcel Jovine AP). This bronze is rendered in the traditional bronze patina style. Shipped Free - Professionally Crated and Insured. A rare thoroughbred bronze of the greatest gelding of the late 20th century rendered in the early 1980's.  Thank you for your interest.  John Henry career video and photos are included plus gift card. Dimensions of this classic Bronze Are: Bronze Pedestal Base: 3 1/2 inches wide by 10 inches long by 3 1/4" high. Horse: 2 inches wide by 11 inches long by 10 1/2" high.  Weight:12 lbs approximately John Henry (March 9, 1975 – October 8, 2007) was an American Thoroughbred race horse named after the folk hero John Henry. As a youngster, the equine John Henry had a habit of tearing steel water and feed buckets off stall walls and stomping them flat. This reminded his then-owners of the legendary John Henry, who was known as a "steel-drivin' man". He was gelded both for his orneriness[1] as well as his lack of breeding. A Golden Chance Farm foal, John Henry was from breeding that might best be described as plebeian. His sire, Ole Bob Bowers, once sold for just $900 and was not in much demand by breeders. His dam, Once Double, was an undistinguished runner and producer, but was sired by Double Jay, a brilliantly fast graded stakes race winner who had proven to be a useful broodmare sire. Early years John Henry was sold as a yearling for $1,100 at the Keeneland January Mixed sale to John Calloway who is credited with giving John Henry his name. Besides being back at the knee (a flaw in conformation that generally makes a long racing career unlikely), undersized, and plainly bred, John Henry had bashed his head in his stall just before being led to the ring, bloodying his face. From there, he was shuffled around through a series of trainers, making his mark as a workmanlike racehorse who earned money in minor stakes, allowance races, and mid-level claiming races. One such allowance race took place at Saratoga Race Course on August 8, 1978. The race is of note in that John Henry finished behind Darby Creek Road who won in a track record time of 1:20 2/5 for 7 furlongs. Also of note was the fact that unknown to all attending that day, the race card featured two future Hall of Fame horses. Going to California In 1978, New York City businessman Sam Rubin and his wife Dorothy paid $25,000 sight unseen for the then three-year-old John Henry. Racing under the Rubin's Dotsam Stable banner, he was first conditioned by trainer, Robert Donato. In 1979, trainer Lefty Nickerson took over the conditioning of John Henry and when owners Sam and Dorothy Rubin decided to send the gelding to race in California, Nickerson recommended Ron McAnally. However, on John Henry's trips back to New York to race, Nickerson would be the trainer of record. Racing through the age of 9, John Henry became a force to be reckoned with in the handicap and turf stakes races of the time. He won the 1981 Santa Anita Handicap and repeated in 1982 after Perrault was disqualified. He is one of only three horses to have accomplished this in the race's 72 year history. He also twice won the Arlington Million Stakes, and won three renewals of both the Hollywood Invitational Handicap and the Oak Tree Invitational Stakes, two Grade I turf stakes in Southern California. He also proved his class by winning one America's most important races for older horses, the 1981 Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park, at 1 1/2 miles on the dirt. This victory clinched his first Horse of the Year title. There's a bronze statue called "Against All Odds" created by Edwin Bogucki that stands on a balcony overlooking the paddock at Arlington Park. It commemorates one of John Henry's most thrilling, as well as his most controversial, finishes. 1981 was the inaugural Arlington Million and two horses, John and an Irish 5 year-old named The Bart, came sweeping home almost as one horse. Virtually everyone watching, including the racing judges, was sure The Bart had beaten a charging John Henry who was closing relentlessly, sure that the finish line would come too soon for John to catch up. Everyone was wrong. John won, not by a nose, but a lip. In the 1982 Oak Tree Invitational, Spence Bay blew by him in the stretch, and again he gamely came back to win. On December 11, 1983, he became the first racehorse to surpass $4 million in career earnings when he won the Hollywood Turf Cup Stakes with jockey Chris McCarron at Hollywood Park Racetrack. John Henry's last race, the 1984 Ballantine Scotch Classic at the Meadowlands, was a memorable one. As he took the lead in the stretch, Meadowlands track announcer Dave Johnson exclaimed "and down the stretch they come! The old man, John Henry, takes command!" He pulled away to his 39th career victory and his second horse of the year title. The final time of 2:13 equaled (at the time) the track record for the distance of 1 3/8 mile. His final race record stood at 83 starts, 39 wins, 15 seconds, and 9 thirds with $6,497,947 in earnings. He was twice voted the Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year in 1981 and 1984, of which his 1981 election is notable in that it remains the only one whereby the victor received all votes cast for that award. In the annals of racing, John Henry earned his place of greatness through toughness, tenacity and hard work rather than intrinsic brilliance. Inaugural Breeders Cup 1984 John Henry, despite coming off a four race win streak in 1984, was not initially pointed to the inaugural running of the Breeders' Cup, the richest single day of horse racing in the world, which was to be held November 10, 1984 at Hollywood Park. Only a relatively late decision in October was made to supplement John Henry to the 1 1/2 mile $2 million USD Turf Cup. Because his sire was never nominated to the BC, owner Sam Rubin had to supplement 20% of the total purse. A check for $133,000 USD was due October 30, 1984 and the balance $267,000 USD to be paid the first week of November. Rubin was quoted as saying ''It's a stupid thing to do. I'm doing it for the horse, for the jockey, for the trainer. I could have done without it. I hope he comes out of the race healthy; that's what I hope. He was found to have a strained ligament in his left foreleg within days and the decision to scratch him from the BC was made by Rubin and ultimately he never returned to the track. Retirement It wasn't until June 21, 1985 that owner Sam Rubin made the decision to retire John Henry, age 10, when he injured a tendon during a workout at Hollywood Park July 19, 1985. He would subsequently be unretired in a comeback bid but never return to racing and retired a second time. Rubin sent the gelding to the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington in 1985 to live. The acquisition of John Henry was seen as a major coup for the park, since several tracks in California sought to host John Henry in retirement, and Rubin had thought about retiring him on the East Coast. The Kentucky Horse Park was able to win out because the former president of the Keeneland racing and sales operation in Lexington, Ted Bassett, persuaded McAnally to intercede with Rubin. John Henry's arrival at the park was the catalyst for gathering the first group of horses that would share the Hall of Champions with him.[3] Today, the Hall houses many other retired champions, such as Cigar and Da Hoss. John Henry would only live at the park for seven months before Rubin announced he would return him to training May 1 1986. At the age of 11 he was in training for a comeback until a "recurring leg ailment" flared up in August 1986. Ron McAnally had been planning for John Henry's comeback in the Ballantine Classic at the Meadowlands September 3 1986 (the same race John Henry won in his last outing in October 1984) retired him a second time on August 12, 1986. He would return to the park, where he spent the rest of his life.[3] John Henry had many quirks that endeared him to his followers, not the least of which was the habit of turning towards the tote board after a victory as if checking the time of the race, or possibly the payoff. Regular rider Chris McCarron often described him as very smart, commenting: "I'm just along for the ride." McAnally also attributed his career to his soundness, noting him to step over rocks on the way to his morning exercise. John Henry also once was determined to get to the winner's circle after losing a race, dragging his groom to get there. John Henry, in the view of many followers of thoroughbred racing, was one of the best come-from-behind horses (or "closers") in recent history. In The Blood-Horse ranking of the top 100 U.S. thoroughbred champions of the 20th Century, John Henry was ranked #23. John Henry was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs, New York in 1990. [edit] Death John Henry was euthanized at 7:05 pm EDT (2305 UTC) on October 8, 2007 at the age of 32. He had developed serious kidney problems in August 2007, while Central Kentucky was experiencing a heat wave. On October 6, he stopped responding to veterinary treatment, and the decision was made to put him down. Many who worked with him had the chance to say their goodbyes, most notably McCarron, who was notified of the decision to euthanize at 4:30 pm, arrived at the park at 5:30, and stayed with him until shortly before the veterinarian arrived. He was buried on the night of his passing in front of the Hall of Champions, at a spot in front of his paddock. A memorial service was held at the park on October 19.  John Henry's accomplishments Voted 7 Eclipse Awards Voted Horse of the Year 1981 and 1984 Voted Eclipse Award for Outstanding Older Male Horse 1981 Oldest horse to win Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year - at age 9 Oldest horse to win a Grade 1 race - at age 9 (tied) Voted Eclipse Award for Outstanding Male Turf Horse - 1980, 1981, 1982, 1984 Won 30 stakes races Only horse to win the Arlington Million (G1) twice - 1981 & 1984 One of only three horses to win the Santa Anita Handicap (G1) twice - 1981 & 1982 Won more graded stakes than any other Thoroughbred - 25 Voted racehorse of the decade for the 1980s Still the richest gelding of any breed in history Retired as the world's richest thoroughbred - July 28, 1985 Inducted into National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1990 Ranked #23 in the Blood-Horse magazine List of the Top 100 Racehorses of the 20th Century Thoroughbred Racing Associations Bronzes  In the late 1970s, the TRA (Thoroughbred Racing Associations) bestowed upon Champions Gallery a license to create and market equine related artwork through their TRAC (Thoroughbred Racing Associations Communications) branch.  The purpose of this endeavor was to give tribute to the great horses of the times through the arts. Champions Gallery had already created a group of coins to honor the Great Champions of the Turf, which were endorsed by the TRA.  These coins were of Man o” War, Secretariat, Citation, Forego, Kelso and Ruffian.  They were cast in Gold, Silver and Bronze and the numismatist for the project was Bev Lopez. Mr. Lopez also created a very limited edition, with a couple of artist’s proofs, of Large Painted Bronzes of Secretariat and Forego, a very few of which were done with a traditional patina finish. Champions Gallery was also authorizing and creating limited editions of artwork in the form of lithographs and created a Race of the Year Serigraph of Affirmed beating Spectacular Bid in the 1979 Jockey Club Gold Cup.  In addition, Champions Gallery was marketing photographs, painting, and prints of horses and other memorabilia and collectibles to the racing public.  They also represented the work of many equine photographers, sculptors and painters.   The Horse of the Year Bronze Edition began with Affirmed (standing position) cast in 1979, Marilyn Newmark, artist; Affirmed (in action) cast in 1980, Marilyn Newmark, artist; Spectacular Bid (walking) cast in 1981, June Harrah, artist; John Henry (standing) cast in 1982, Marcel Jovine, artist; Conquistador Cielo (in action) cast in 1983 Marcel Jovine, artist; and All Along (in action) cast in 1983 Cindy Wolfe, artist.  Models of each bronze had to be approved by the owners of the Horse of the Year to insure that an authentic image of their champion was being produced. In the further interest of racing preservation, and as the Official License of TRAC, Champions Gallery produced as series of 36 video tapes that was the first sport magazine on video tape registered with the Library of Congress.  These tapes included the 30 top races run in North America each month and a variety of interviews done as Online with Bob Fox and historic races of past great racehorses. This magazine later led to the formation of the ESPN television show Racing Across America of which Bob Fox was CO-host and CO-producer.  In the age of the Internet, one of the original partners of Champions Gallery, Robert S. Fox, has continued the tradition of Champions Gallery in conjunction with his brother Peter Fox. 1975 JOHN HENRY,B,g,Ole Bob Bowers 8 82 39 15 9 $6,591,860 63.22 DP = 13-4-9-2-0 DI = 3.31 CD = 1.00 AWD = 11.33 At 2 Won Lafayette Futurity (10,000) At 3 Won Round Table H. -G3 (50,000), Chocolatetown H. (20,000), 2nd Lexington H. -G2 (50,000), Hill Prince H. (35,000), 3rd Volante H. -G3 (50,000), Lamplighter H. -G3 (25,000) At 4 Won Henry P. Russell H. (40,000), 2nd Bay Meadows H. (100,000), Carleton F. Burke H. -G2 (75,000), Sword Dancer S. (50,000), Sunrise H. (30,000) At 5 Won Hollywood Invitational H. -G1 (250,000), San Juan Capistrano Invit. H. -G1 (200,000), Oak Tree Invitational H. -G1 (200,000), San Luis Rey S. -G1 (150,000), Hialeah Turf Cup H. -G2 (125,000), Brighton Beach H. -G3 (75,000), San Marcos H. -G3 (60,000), San Gabriel H. -G3 (60,000), 2nd Jockey Club Gold Cup S. -G1 (500,000), Sword Dancer S. (150,000), Bowling Green H. -G2 (125,000), 3rd Turf Classic Invitational H. -G1 (300,000) At 6 Won Arlington Million Invitational (1,000,000), Jockey Club Gold Cup S. -G1 (500,000), Santa Anita H. -G1 (350,000), Oak Tree Invitational S. -G1 (300,000), Hollywood Invitational H. -G1 (200,000), Sword Dancer S. -G3 (150,000), San Luis Rey S. -G1 (150,000), San Luis Obispo H. -G2 (100,000) At 7 Won Santa Anita H. -G1 (500,000), Oak Tree Invitational H. -G1 (300,000), 3rd Meadowlands Cup H. -G2 (400,000), San Luis Rey S. -G1 (200,000) At 8 Won Hollywood Invit. Turf Cup H. -G1 (500,000), American H. -G2 (150,000), 2nd Budweiser Million -G1 (1,000,000), Oak Tree Invit. S. -G1 (400,000) At 9 Won Budweiser Million S. -G1 (1,000,000), Turf Classic S. -G1 (400,000), Ballantine's Scotch Classic H. (L) (400,000), Hollywood Invitational H. -G1 (300,000), Golden Gate H. -G3 (250,000), Sunset H. -G1 (200,000), 2nd Hollywood Gold Cup H. -G1 (500,000), 3rd San Luis Rey S. -G1 (200,000) The Artist: Marcel Jovine 1921-2003 Distinguished medals sculptor and recipient of the ANS J. Sanford Saltus Award for Signal Achievement in the Art of the Medal, Marcel Jovine, died on January 20, 2003 in Greenwich, Connecticut at the home of his daughter, Andrea Coopersmith, leaving behind also his daughter Marcia of Washington D. C., and grandson, Alexander. Born in Naples, Italy on July 26, 1921, Jovine was raised in Turin and attended the University of Naples. He was commissioned by the Military Academy at Turin, the equivalent to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, where he created mechanical and architectural drawings and drafts. In Turin Jovine met sculptor (and fellow officer) Bruno Burachini of Siena, who taught him the fundamentals of sculpture. Although Jovine had been drawing, whittling and model-making since his childhood, he had no formal training in sculpture other than his brief time with Burachini. During World War II, Jovine served in the Italian army in North Africa and was captured there by Allied forces. Sitting out the rest of the war as a POW in Pennsylvania, Jovine spent his free time sketching and sculpting. It was during this time that he met and fell in love with Angela D'Oro, a singer and pianist, who performed concerts for the prisoners. After the war, upon returning to Italy, Jovine continued to correspond with Angela. In 1950, Jovine returned to the United States to marry Ms. D'Oro, and embark on a new life shaped by diverse and creative pursuits. Jovine soon began what would prove to be a lucrative career as a toy-maker. Working for the Ideal Toy Company, Jovine fashioned several noteworthy creations: first, the Blessed Event Doll (unique for its rubber-plastic substance with an uncanny human-like fleshy quality), then a pirate ship with a full crew of tiny pirates, an anchor, plank and lifeboat. Later, he created hobby items utilizing authentic Army blueprints, designing tanks, missiles, missile carriers, and a dozen varied military vehicles. He also became known for his renditions of great thoroughbred race horses immortalizing in bronze the likes of Affirmed, Spectacular Bid and John Henry to name only a few. It was for his bronze of Spectacular Bid that the National Sculpture Society awarded Jovine the M.H. Lamston Prize for meritorious sculpture in 1983. Russia's launching of Sputnik in 1957 inspired Jovine to create hobby items that could serve a purpose. The result was a series of educational plastic models initially produced by Revell that included the anatomically correct Visible Man and Visible Woman. Jovine also designed the Visible V-8 Engine, still being made today. In the Late 1970's, Mr. Jovine turned his attention away from toy-making and began concentrating his talents on numismatic sculpture. In his studio he carved bas-reliefs and intaglios, creating prototypes for coins, medals, and molds for minting. Jovine achieved notoriety for his superbly detailed, historically authentic artistry. Commissioned by the American Revolution Bicentennial Administration, Jovine created seventeen-inch models for the 1976 Bicentennial Calendar winning the Lindsay Morris Memorial Prize for bas-relief of the National Sculpture Society in 1977. He was commissioned to create the 100 Year Anniversary Medal of the Kentucky Derby; he made the Olympic medals used in the 1980 Winter Games in Lake Placid, NY as well as the 1980 issue of the Society of Medalists. In 1982, Jovin's design won the competition for presentation medals for the winners of the International Violin Competition held in Indianapolis, Indiana. He designed commemorative medals for the Viking I and II missions, the Soyuz-Apollo Linkup for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 36 medals of endangered species for the Sierra Club, and another 36 medals observing the "The Opening of the West" for Wells Fargo. In 1981, Jovine created the 60th anniversary medal for the Grand Central Art Gallery in New York City, depicting Grand Central Station statuary on the obverse and the likeness of the artists John Singer Sergeant, Edmund Greacen and W. L. Clark on the reverse. In 1982, the ANS awarded Jovine with the design for our 125th anniversary medal, one of the ANS' most successful issues in recent years. Rectangular in shape, the medal portrays a minter striking a coin on an anvil with a hammer; behind him are depictions of various important coins from the ANS collection. The verso illustrates a screw press and a pantograph machine, used for reducing designs in the preparation of dies. The piece, commissioned under the presidency of Harry Bass, was a favorite of the former ANS President. Interestingly the piece originally designed by Jovine showed a nude figure striking coins, but was deemed inappropriate for the occasion. In 1984, Marcel Jovine was again selected by the ANS to receive the J. Sanford Saltus Award for Signal Achievement in the Art of the Medal. Karen Worth presented the citation praising Jovine for a "style of figurative art that is at the same time varied and individualistic. He has combined a baroque sense of decorative invention with an Art Nouveau love of swirling forms and an Art Deco conventionalization of figurative portrayal. Yet there is nothing old-fashioned or stilted about his work; it is clearly in the contemporary spirit." Certain template images and/or photos included here are the copyrighted property of JupiterImages and are used with permission under license. Place a Bid!