After the 1983 season came to a close, John Henry once again found himself a champion.

Already highly decorated for his body of work, the grand gelding had been a two-time Grass Horse Champion, Handicap Champion, and Horse of the Year. With masterful training by Ron McAnally, John Henry made it three Grass Horse titles in four seasons thanks to his 1983 campaign, which saw him capture the Grade II American Handicap and Grade I Hollywood Turf Cup while finishing runner up in the Grade I Arlington Million during the summer.

At nine years of age in 1984, it could be said that John Henry had nothing left to prove. He owned a plethora of stakes wins to go with his several Eclipse Awards. A Hall of Fame berth would come in due time, and he was one of the most popular and successful horses of any era. In short, he was set to go down in history as a legend.

But John Henry had one more season in him. And over the course of his eighth season at the races, the son of Ole Bob Bowers did not relent when it came to battling foes on track.

He managed to not only win more races during that final year, but also make history as he again reached the pinnacle of his sport.

With rider Chris McCarron in the irons for the whole campaign, John Henry's lone off the board finish came early as he missed out on a third win the Santa Anita Handicap. But he came back to finish third in the Grade I San Luis Rey before traveling up north to Golden Gate Fields to win the Grade III Golden Gate Handicap at a mile and three-eigths in early May.

Moving back down the state, John Henry spent some time at Hollywood Park. He had a productive stay at the Home of Champions, with a pair of Grade I victories in the Hollywood Invitational and Sunset Handicaps bookending a runner-up effort in the Grade I Hollywood Gold Cup. Once more, John Henry showcased his stamina, for his two wins at Hollypark both came at one and one-half miles.

Perhaps fittingly, the Sunset marked John Henry's final appearance at a Southern California racetrack. But it was not his final start. Next came a return to Illinois for another shot at the Arlington Million. Three years after taking the inaugural running in a thrilling finish over The Bart, John Henry became the race's first and only two-time winner as he successfully navigated ten furlongs once more. In just four years, John Henry ensured his place as a legend of the Arlington Million.

Venturing East, McAnally sent John Henry to Belmont Park, where the tough horse prevailed in the Grade I Turf Classic in another mile and a half excursion in September. Three weeks later in the middle of October, John Henry took on eleven opponents at the Meadowlands when he started in the Ballantine Handicap. Asked to go a mile and three-eighths again, the gelding was happy to oblige. Coming from off the pace, John Henry made his last start a winning one as he put up his thirty-ninth career victory.

In nine starts throughout the 1984 season, John Henry compiled a record of six wins while finishing in the top three on two other occasions. The bulk of his campaign came on turf, but John Henry put together a laudable campaign for multiple reasons.

First, at the age of nine, he managed to win multiple races. Though it was already a well known fact he possessed a winner's instinct, the fact John Henry could still win consistently at his age was truly remarkable, especially given the fact he competed in graded stakes for most of the year.

Second, John Henry won those races at different distances, and none of them came at less than one and one-quarter miles. John Henry epitomized stamina. The vast majority of his victories came in routes, but to still conquer those marathon distances at nine years old is easily the stuff of legend. Just like the folk hero that became his namesake, John Henry was tough and strong, and he put those traits on display for fans all over the United States throughout 1984.

Third, he showed up in the winner's circle at four racetracks: Hollywood Park, Arlington, Belmont and the Meadowlands. John Henry had of course started at many racetracks throughout his storied career, but he still proved capable of taking his races to different venues. Far from being a horse-for-course, John Henry again showed he was a force wherever he went.

John Henry did not know age. He knew how to race. And he knew how to win.

When the winners of the Eclipse Awards were announced for 1984, John Henry again emerged as the big winner. For the fourth time in five seasons, he clinched the Grass Horse Champion honor along with being crowned Horse of the Year for a second time, which gave him. And with that Horse of the Year title came some history, for John Henry became the oldest Thoroughbred to take that honor. No one before him, not Ack Ack, not Forego, not even Kelso, was named Horse of the Year at age nine.

And no one after John Henry has been able to match that distinction, either.

Going by the saying of you are only as old as you feel, John Henry must have felt quite young as he kept dispatching foes in 1984 while making that leap from legend to all-time great.

If you pardon the pun, John Henry had a season for the ages.

And by defying age, he made himself timeless.