John Henry Will Be Examined for Swelling in His Left Foreleg

John Henry, the two-time Horse of the Year who is attempting a comeback as an 11-year-old, has developed a small swelling in his left foreleg and will be examined by veterinarian Jack Robbins at Del Mar today.

Robbins, who attended last week’s yearling sale at Saratoga, was contacted by Ron McAnally, John Henry’s trainer, and is returning to California to check John Henry, who resumed training in May, after being retired in July 1985.

At Del Mar Saturday, McAnally was guarded in commenting about the swelling, which happened after John Henry worked six furlongs here last Tuesday.

“I’d rather not say anything until Doc Robbins looks at him and we get a clear idea of where we stand,” McAnally said. “Before he won the first Arlington Million (in 1981), he had a similar problem down here, and I came close to not shipping him to Chicago. Two days later, he was all right and won the race. I would have looked foolish if I had said he wasn’t going to run when we first noticed the problem.”

John Henry, who hasn’t raced since October 1984, was scheduled for another six-furlong workout Monday.

The swelling is in John Henry’s lower leg, near the ankle. It is near an area that was treated for an inflammation two years ago. When John Henry was retired, it was due to a swelling in the right foreleg, an injury that turned out to be not as serious as was first thought.

Sam and Dorothy Rubin, who bought John Henry when he was a 3-year-old for $25,000, are scheduled to fly back to their New York home today.

“I don’t think this is anything serious, at least I hope not, but we’ll see what the veterinarian says,” Sam Rubin said Saturday. “We’ll take it as he comes. If he can’t run, then we won’t run him. We don’t want to do anything that would be unfair to the horse.”

When Rubin announced in May that John Henry was coming out of retirement, he said that any purse money the thoroughbred might earn in his comeback would be given to charity.

John Henry has earned a record $6.5 million in his career.