John Henry Produced Signature Career Too

Lost in the hubbub surrounding Seabiscuit has been John Henry, Santa Anita’s latter-day blue-collar horse who retired in 1985 as racing’s all-time leading money winner with $6,597,947.

John Henry routinely ran in claiming races early on and once lost nine races at New Orleans’ Fair Grounds by a combined 74 lengths.

After John Henry spent 1978-79 in New York, owner Sam Rubin shipped the gelding west. Rubin initially wanted Charlie Whittingham to train the horse, until Whittingham turned to an assistant and asked, “Who the heck is John Henry?”

Ron McAnally ended up overseeing John Henry’s horse-of-the-year campaigns of 1981 and ‘84, the latter when the horse was 9 years old.

Trivia time: Who are the only two-time winners of the Santa Anita Handicap?

Direct hit: Oscar De La Hoya, part of a panel at the Octagon World Congress of Sports conference in Newport Beach last week, said, “Boxing needs to get rid of the Don Kings, the guys who give boxing a bad name.”

Her shot: Marge Schott, who died last week, was no friend to baseball scouts. “All they do is watch games,” she once complained.

Big undertaking: Among those participating in today’s Los Angeles Marathon will be Power 106’s Big Boy. He couldn’t have done it a year ago. Big Boy, who has collected pledges for charity, has lost 106 pounds since having stomach surgery in November.

“I’ll be out there to unveil the new me,” Big Boy told LARadio.com.

They’re everywhere: Tom FitzGerald of the San Francisco Chronicle, pointing out that FoxSports.com had asked readers whether they thought Barry Bonds used steroids, said one replied: “I gained 35 pounds in my late 30s also. That begs the question: Are there ‘roids in Bud Light and potato skins?”

Strong-armed: Wilt Chamberlain wasn’t simply big, he was a multitalented athlete who was a track star and considered taking on Muhammad Ali in the ring.

Former Times and Philadelphia sportswriter George Kiseda once asked Chamberlain whether he had ever tried to see how far he could throw a football.

“I don’t want to say how far I can throw a football because I have been accused of grossly exaggerating,” Chamberlain said, pointing out the obvious. (Or do you believe his line about 20,000 women?)

After a pause, he continued: “I don’t know how I’d do with the big guys putting pressure on me, but there isn’t a quarterback in the NFL that can throw better than I can. I’m talking about hitting guys on the move.”

Trivia answer: John Henry, 1981 and ‘82, and Milwaukee Brew, 2002 and ’03.

And finally: Reader Joe Gutierrez of Cambria suggests that Colorado’s Gary Barnett might have taken a cue from former Baylor basketball coach Dave Bliss. “Everyone knows that when backed into a corner, you go with the ‘She’s a drug dealer’ blast,” Gutierrez says.

Larry Stewart can be reached at larry.stewart@latimes.com.