COUNTDOWN TO 2000: A day-by-day recap of some of the most important sports moments of the 20th century. / AUG. 30, 1981 : You Can Put a Price on This Victory

It brought to the world’s richest race the world’s richest active race horse and the world’s richest jockey.

It was the Arlington Million in Chicago, when the 6-year-old gelding, John Henry, ridden by Bill Shoemaker, won by a nose to become racing’s No. 2 all-time money winner with $2,464,510, second only to the retired Spectacular Bid.

But it wasn’t easy, and Shoemaker and John Henry’s connections had to wait out an interminable delay while stewards went over the photo finish with magnifying glasses.

But in the end, John Henry, the 9-to-5 favorite, got the nod over 40-1 shot The Bart in history’s first $1-million race for thoroughbreds.

“I thought we won,” Shoemaker said, “but after we passed the finish I wasn’t so sure.”

So $600,000 went to John Henry and $200,000 to The Bart, who looked like a winner at the top of the stretch in the 1 1/4-mile race.

At the time John Henry was moving from fifth to third coming to the final quarter.

“At the sixteenth pole, I thought I was going to win it,” jockey Eddie Delahoussaye said. “I think I came as close to winning as I could. It was better than he had ever run before.”

John Henry, eighth at the first half-mile, moved to the inside at the far turn, then swung outside for his final charge. He won the race on turf in 2:07 3/5.

Also on this date: In 1905, 18-year-old Ty Cobb made his major league debut with the Detroit Tigers. In his first at-bat, he doubled off New York’s Jack Chesbro. He also walked in the game and was thrown out stealing. . . . In 1997, the Houston Comets beat the New York Liberty, 65-51, to win the first WNBA championship. . . . In 1991, in Tokyo, Mike Powell of Rancho Cucamonga broke Bob Beamon’s 23-year-old long jump world record with a leap of 29-4 1/2.