Johnny D.

Johnny D. (foaled in 1974) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse. He was bred in Virginia by Miss Peggy Augustus and raced under the Dana Bray banner as his owner. He finished racing with a record of 7-2-6 in 17 starts with career earnings of $371,256. Johnny D. was best known for his wins in the grade one Washington, D.C. International Stakes and the grade one Turf Classic Invitational Stakes. Although he raced for several years, 1977 is when he won all but his maiden race including his two grade one turf races.^[1] That same year he was named the country's top grass equine by being voted 1977 American Champion Male Turf Horse honors.

Two-year-old career

Johnny D. was a very late developing thoroughbred. As a two-year-old Johnny D. only raced four times, he placed third in twice and won a maiden race that year. He finished the year with an annual record of 1-0-2 in 4 starts.

Three-year-old career

Early in his three-year-old season Johnny D. had moderate success at a very high level of competition. He placed third in the grade two Lawrence Realization Stakes in June and grade one Man o' War Stakes in July, both held at Belmont Park in New York City. Later that summer he became a graded stakes winner by winning the grade two Lexington Handicap also held at Belmont Park.

Johnny D. won the inaugural running of the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational Handicap in September 1977 when the race was first run as the "Aqueduct Turf Classic Invitational Stakes" at Aqueduct Racetrack. The name of the race has now been shortened to being called just the "Turf Classic" in 1983, it is raced at a distance of 1-½ miles and at one time drew the top thorougbreds from the U.S. and Europe when it was part of a million dollar bonus for any horse who won it plus the Washington D. C. International and the Canadian International. He won that race in 2:33.20 with the young phenom Steve Cauthen in the irons.

In his next race, Johnny D. took on and beat the world's best horses in the Washington, D.C. International Stakes at Laurel Park Racecourse in October 1977. That day his trainer Michael Kay said that, "Johnny D. could have beaten Secretariat because the way he was training." Later that year Johnny D. was named American Champion Male Turf Horse as voted by nations top sports writers.

Four-year-old season

During his four-year-old season, Johnny D. had very limited success and was retired later that year.

References