Johnny trained for me in the early 80’s and Julie rode for me when she was Johnny’s stable rider before anyone really knew her. I can’t remember the Kentucky Derby year, but Julie was riding the 1st or 2nd race early in the card, she was 55/1 because nobody knew who she was in Kentucky. I was only in my late twenties at the time and it was the best score we made all day. We were right on the rail in a box and our whole box was yelling like crazy when she was in deep stretch and won the race. Everyone around us knew after the race we were from New Jersey and it was long after they knew who Julie Krone was also.

Another quick story about Johnny and me, I traveled a lot for long periods of time nationally, I was in software sales, I went to the races late in August, it might have been Labor Day weekend, I see Johnny in the paddock and he comes running up to me and says where the hell have you been? I put together a last minute stallion syndicate to buy some yearlings in the September Kentucky yearling sale, he says it’s 100k a share and I need it in a week, I told him I would love to do it but that’s really short notice for me to come up with 100k cash.
I was able to raise 50k on my own and I went to all of my buddies trying to raise the other 50k but none of them wanted to go in on it. I tried to buy in for 50k but the syndicate didn’t want anything less that 100k buy in. Of course, they go on to buy 6 horses at that sale and 4 of them were stakes winners and one of the was Tale of the Cat, who they sold to COOLMORE for $14.1 M. They had a ton of fun with those horses and I will never forget tale of the cats kings bishop. He was a monster that day.
Johnny obviously knew Jerry very well which is how I learned about the Thorograph’s. I have used them religiously ever since.
I am sure Johnny has a group of great horseman surrounding him now, talking horses. He loved this game so much and he could talk your ears off. RIP Mr.Forbes, our game will miss tremendously.