The legendary two-time Horse of the Year John Henry, who captured the hearts of many, was honored with a memorial service on Friday at the Kentucky Horse Park Hall of Champions in Lexington.

The memorial was held outside John Henry’s paddock, where he lived from 1985 until his death on October 8 when he was euthanized at age 32.

A large crowd formed a horseshoe-shape outside the Ole Bob Bowers gelding’s paddock, where he was laid to rest.

“This is unbelievable,” retired Racing Hall of Fame jockey Chris McCarron said. “I have been to quite a few memorial services in my life, but I have never been to something so extraordinary. We’re talking about a horse that was able to capture the minds and hearts of people all over the world, not just in the United States.

“I can’t tell you how blessed I feel, and I was a very small part of his career,” McCarron continued. “I was fortunate enough to have ridden him in his last 14 starts [during his eight- and nine-year-old seasons] and I just had an absolute blast.”

As many spoke about the legend John Henry left behind, smiles and tears filled the eyes of those gathered to remember the blue-collar horse that rose to stardom, earning seven Eclipse Awards and an induction into the Racing Hall of Fame in 1990.

“There will only be and will only ever be one John Henry,” said John Nicholson, executive director of the Kentucky Horse Park. “The legacy of John Henry will continue for decades and decades in the lives of the people and the children and their children of all of the lives he has touched.”

Campaigned by Dotsam Stable and trained by Ron McAnally, John Henry retired in 1984 with 39 wins, including 16 Grade 1 victories, from 83 career starts. He earned $6,591,860 over an eight-year career and retired as Thoroughbred’s all-time leading earner.

 “When it came time for John to retire, there was an extreme competition between the east and the west to find a retirement home for John,” said Ted Bassett, former president and board chairman of Keeneland Race Course. “The California tracks and California breeders were interested. We owe a great deal of gratitude to one of our native sons, Ron McAnally, who refused to see that John would go anywhere but to Kentucky and to the Horse Park.

“We have a final salute today to this grand ol' champion, who outlived those critics who suspected his pedigree was not enough to answer up to a great champion. But he became the people’s horse, the people’s champion and may we always remember the wonderful record he had on the track and his combatic way of doing it his way.”

Jenny Blandford is a Thoroughbred Times assistant daily news editor