Most of them were trying turf for the first time. The 2nd place finisher Continental Cousin was 3rd by 6.5 lengths in a turf alw race at Hialeah to the strong turf champion Mac Diarmada a few months prior.
Adjusted for inflation - you'd think a 35K 3yo CLM turf route in '78 - would be equal to a 50K 3yo turf claimer now. Typically, such a race in June is won with a figure in the 78-to-80 range. Assuming the 2nd place finisher ran to the lower end of par ... 78 + 32 = 110. The 2nd place finisher was 2nd at the same class level in each of his next two starts.
It was the only turf race of the day - so there isn't much else to work with. Obviously the grass moved up John Henry a ton. A 110 wins the Breeders Cup Mile some years... though, I'm certainly not a big figure guy when it comes to turf racing.
You did have a couple trainer changes after the FG debacle ... but I just can't believe that the DRF could have John Henry down as a colt for the first 19 races of his career ... if he was a gelding all along from the start. Even two major circuits outside of Louisiana - Keeneland and NYRA - had him as a colt for one and two races there.
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