Sam Rubin dead at 91

Sam Rubin, the owner of two-time Horse of the Year John Henry, died February 13 in

Palm Beach, Florida. He was 91.

Rubin raced John Henry with his wife, Dorothy, as Dotsam Stable after

purchasing the gelding for $25,000 in 1978. The former bicycle importer

acquired the Hall of Fame runner while he was racing in the allowance and claiming ranks,

and oversaw John Henry's rise into the upper echelons of Thoroughbred racing history.

The New York City native shuffled John Henry from coast to coast, housing him

in the shedrow of Victor Nickerson in the east and Ronald McAnally out west, and

won many of America's most elite competitions. John Henry's initial stakes start

for Rubin came in the 1978 Lamplighter H. (G3) at

Monmouth Park, where he finished a close third. He ran a head second in the

Lexington H. (G2) at Belmont before finally breaking through with his first

graded stakes success in his

27th start, the Round Table H. (G3), which he dominated by 12 lengths.

John Henry went on to capture 28 more stakes races, including America's first

$1 million race -- the 1981 Arlington Million Invitational -- and garnered 16

Grade 1 trophies. The courageous gelding's accomplishments included another

running of the Arlington Million as well as the Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1),

Hollywood Invitational Turf Cup (G1) and Turf Classic S. (G1). He captured two editions of

the Santa Anita H. (G1) and Hollywood Invitational (G1), and three runnings of the Oak

Tree Invitational (G1).

John Henry was named Horse of the Year twice (1981, 84), champion turf horse

four times (1980, 81, 83, 84) and was also named champion handicap horse in

1981. He retired in 1984 at the age of nine with a record of 81-39-15-9 and

earnings of $6,591,860 as Thoroughbred racing's all-time leading earner.

The 31-year-old now resides at the Kentucky Horse Park near Lexington,

Kentucky.