Saratoga Springs is mourning a pillar of the horse racing community.
John Hendrickson was an outsize figure in Saratoga Springs’ racing and philanthropic circles.
The widower of Marylou Whitney died at Saratoga Hospital Monday.
The 59-year-old invested in efforts to support Saratoga Race Course’s backstretch employees. Following the death of Whitney in 2019 at the age of 93, Hendrickson continued her efforts to support employees of the track — raising funds for the Saratoga Backstretch Clinic, which provides healthcare to track employees from a partnership between Saratoga Hospital and the Backstretch Employee Service Team.
BEST Executive Director Nancy Underwood said Hendrickson’s commitment to those who keep the racetrack running was second to none.
“One of the most incredible things about him is he was just kind of quietly behind the scenes. He didn’t need all the fanfare. You know, we have the backstretch appreciation events that he and Marylou founded. When Marylou was alive, they came every Sunday to dinner and every Wednesday for bingo. And they would sit with backstretch workers, and they remembered them and they would ask how their family was. And after Marylou passed, he still continued with the backstretch appreciation events. And still was just here on Sunday taking pictures of the backstretch workers and making sure the food was up to his standards,” said Underwood.
Hendrickson also served as the chairman of the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame starting in 2017. The former Alaska political aide married Whitney in 1997 in a wedding that garnered headlines due to their age difference.
Museum spokesman Brien Bouyea says Hendrickson’s mark on local racing history won’t be forgotten.
“He brought a tremendous passion, and he was an unbelievable leader. He had a lot of visionary ideas here, especially for bringing our Hall of Fame into a modern, exciting era. We went to a completely digital experience with the Hall of Fame. We added a signature film. It just brought so much energy and passion. Our attendance has gone up several years in museums and wonderful financial footing thanks to John's leadership,” said Bouyea.
Hendrickson took the lead on a $20 million capital campaign to bring the vision of a modernized hall of fame to life.
Long-time horse trainer Nick Zito remembered the duo as a power-couple who shaped the Spa City’s racing scene.
“He loved the fact that he was with Marylou and he loved the horses, and he got to be the museum president, and he did so much work for the back[stretch]. So, his life went quick, I mean, 59, but when you think about it, I guess it was 30 years he was back here with the horses and everything, and in the racing, certainly learned a lot, that's for sure,” said Zito.
Zito, a Hall of Famer, trained 2004 Belmont and Travers winner Birdstone for Marylou Whitney Stables.
“I think the sad thing is, is I was thinking obviously it hits you really hard, who is going to take over? Who's going to do that? You know, if you don't have those two people. I don't know, safe to say, I don't know. I hope somebody steps up,” said Zito.
Whitney, nicknamed the “Queen of Saratoga,” led efforts to keep Saratoga Race Course open when attendance was dwindling in the 1970s.
Hendrickson served as a NYRA board member and as an advisor on racing to then-Governor Andrew Cuomo from 2012 through 2016.
New York Racing Association President and CEO David O’Rourke praised Hendrickson’s commitment to racing and his role as “an instrumental member of the committee that orchestrated the 150th anniversary of horse racing at Saratoga.”
Hendrickson owned thousands of acres of Adirondack land at the time of his death.