Former exercise rider of John Henry dies at 66

Former exercise rider of John Henry dies at 66

Published Jan. 11, 2012 4:50 a.m. ET

Trainer Lewis Cenicola, who served as exercise rider for Hall of Fame gelding John Henry in the late 1970s and early `80s, has died at 66.

He died Sunday after a long battle with cancer, Santa Anita Park said Tuesday.

Cenicola won 279 races as a trainer, including a pair of Grade 3 stakes - the 1988 San Simeon Handicap with Caballo de Oro and the 1992 Silver Screen Handicap with Natural Nine. Before that, he was a jockey for more than a decade.

But he was best known for his association with John Henry during the gelding's run of success under Hall of Fame trainer Ron McAnally.

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A funeral mass will be Thursday in Sierra Madre.

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