John Henry, the former leading money-earner in Thoroughbred racing who has been a popular attraction at the Kentucky Horse Park since his arrival in 1985, is recuperating from colic surgery performed Jan. 25 at Hagyard-Davidson-McGee veterinary clinic near Lexington, Ky. Michael Spirito, DVM, headed the operation in which three feet of John Henry’s intestine was removed.

“He’s a tough old bird who has beat the odds all his life,” said Horse Park executive director John Nicholson about the 27-year-old gelding. “He’s doing very well, and we expect him back in four or five days.”

A member of the same crop as Affirmed and Alydar, John Henry was Horse of the Year in 1981 and 1984 for owner Sam Rubin. He won 39 of 83 starts and earned $6.5 million