John Henry Statue Unveiled on Opening Day at Santa Anita

Laffit Pincay at the tail, with Ron McAnally framed by the life-size bronze statue.

Among the festivities on Opening Day of Santa Anita's Diamond Anniversary meet Saturday, Dec. 26, 2009, was the unveiling of the new life-size bronze statue of the great John Henry. A huge crowd gathered in the paddock gardens between races to watch Hall of Fame trainer Ron McAnally, who conditioned John Henry, do the unveiling.

Eduardo Inda, Ron McAnally, Laffit Pincay Jr., Dr. Jack Robbins and Lewis Cenicola pose in front of newly unveiled bronze of John Henry.

The bronze was sculpted by artist Nina Kaiser, who was also in attendance for the unveiling. Also on hand were retired Hall of Fame jockey Laffit Pincay Jr.; trainer Lewis Cenicola, former exercise rider for John Henry and assistant to McAnally; trainer Eduardo Inda, who worked for McAnally for more than 20 years; and Dr. Jack Robbins, a director of Oak Tree Racing Association, one of the organizations that commissioned the work.

Artist Nina Kaiser (second from right) looks on during dedication ceremonies.

John Henry won 12 stakes at Santa Anita during the 1980's and was one of the most popular racehorses of all time. His likeness, installed in front of historic Kingsbury Fountain, makes a glorious addition to the track entrance.

Installation of the 2,000-lb. bronze in the paddock gardens a few days before Opening Day.

Life Size Statue of Champion John Henry to be Installed at Santa Anita

Omar Valdez and Hugo Aguilar of Downey Tile installing the base for the life size bronze statue of John Henry in the Santa Anita paddock gardens.

Amidst all of the preparations for opening day of Santa Anita's 75th Anniversary Meet, work is under way to prepare the site for a life-sized bronze statue of champion John Henry near the Kingsbury Fountain in the paddock gardens.

The bronze will be unveiled by his long-time Hall of Fame trainer, Ron McAnally, on opening day, Saturday, Dec. 26, following the third race.

Commissioned by Santa Anita and Oak Tree Racing Association, the bronze was sculpted by artist Nina Kaiser and stands at John Henry’s height, 15.2 hands. Kaiser began work on the project more than two years ago following the death of the great horse at the age of 32.

Beloved by California racing fans, John Henry was the first two-time winner of the Santa Anita Handicap, in 1981 and 1982. When retired in 1985, John Henry was racing’s all-time leading money earner, with $6,591,860.