Blushing John - Four-year-old Season

Four-year-old Season

In the spring of his four-year-old season, Blushing John's owner decided to leave him to race in the United States and turned him over to trainer Dick Lundy. Racing on dirt for the first time on the first Saturday in March, Blushing John won the Razorback Handicap at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Then he won again in the Washington Park Handicap at Arlington Park in Chicago, Illinois.

Blushing John had his breakthrough moment during the third week of May in the $750,000 Grade I Pimlico Special Handicap at "Old Hilltop" in Baltimore, Maryland. He was listed at post time as the third choice in a field of twelve graded stakes winners at 7-1. The field broke well, and Blushing John was a factor early, being forwardly placed. He held back in fourth under patient Pat Day going into the famous "club house turn" at Pimlico Race Course. Slew City Slew and local favorite Little Bold John led down the back stretch. Then Blushing John made his patented move on the far turn and came into contention, challenging Laffit Pincay, Jr. on Slew City Slew. In the stretch, Blushing John passed Slew City Slew but Proper Reality passed them all with Jerry Bailey aboard. Blushing John then bore down on Proper Reality and passed him with a sixteenth to go to win by two lengths.

Later that summer, Blushing John scored in the Grade I Hollywood Gold Cup at Hollywood Park Racetrack. In the final race of his career, he started in the 1989 Breeders' Cup Classic, which many race experts called "a racing epic." He broke well and stalked the pace in fourth in a tight pack. Going into the first turn, Blushing John rushed up on his own in second to pressure Slew City Slew, who set a blazing first quarter of 22.2. With three eighths a mile to go, Blushing John overtook the leader coming out of the far turn. He was clocked at 1:10.2 in the first 3/4 of a mile under jockey Angel Cordero and quickly opened up a clear advantage. In the stretch, however, both winner Sunday Silence and runner-up Easy Goer passed him. Blushing John finished third, a length behind the winner and ten lengths in front of the rest of the field in the $4,000,000 Grade I race. Blushing John's 1989 performances, with four wins including two Grade I stakes races and a third in the Classic, earned him the Eclipse Award for American Champion Older Male Horse.