John Hendrickson, who, along with his late wife Marylou Whitney was a Thoroughbred industry personality and philanthropist, died unexpectedly Monday in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. He was 59. Hendrickson, a native of Alaska, married Whitney, the well-known owner-breeder, socialite, and philanthropist beloved as "the Queen of Saratoga," in 1997, and became a regular in the Thoroughbred community alongside her. Following Whitney's death in 2019 at the age of 93, Hendrickson continued to campaign horses in the Whitney blue, including, in recent years, graded stakes winners Pretty Birdie and Super Quick. Both were trained by Norm Casse, who currently has seven horses for Hendrickson, including the unraced 2-year-old filly Alyeska, who is entered in Friday’s first race at Saratoga. “Just a great and generous man who was always looking out for everybody else,” Casse said Tuesday by phone from Kentucky. “The things that really excited him were what they did with the Hall of Fame. When they renovated that, he was a huge, huge part of that. He was so proud of that. He was so proud of the foundations that took care of the backside workers. “As far as being an owner, he was the absolute best type of owner to have,” Casse continued. “He always took bad news really well and shared in the excitement of our victories. He’s a hard man to replace. He was more than a client to me, he was a really good friend. I talked to him every day, and I’m going to miss him dearly. It’s so hard for me to process what’s going on. This is a big chunk of my stable, so it’s a setback for that, but right now I’m just trying to process losing a friend, too.” One of the most prominent roles in racing for Hendrickson was as chairman of the board of the National Racing Museum and Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs, a role he had held since 2017. He led numerous initiatives to the facility, including spearheading a $20 million capital campaign to develop a digital and interactive Hall of Fame, including an immersive film. Hendrickson also led the museum’s popular online Foal Patrol project, a series of live cameras that gave fans the opportunity to watch and learn about the foaling process of Thoroughbred mares. “John Hendrickson was a visionary leader who had a tremendous passion for the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, the Saratoga Springs community, and racing in general,” Cate Masterson, the museum’s director, said in a release. “He was truly one of a kind and this loss is immeasurable. The entire Museum board and staff is deeply saddened by his passing. Our hearts are with his family and his numerous friends. We all loved him very much.” A passion for Hendrickson and Whitney was serving the backstretch workers, particularly in their beloved Saratoga. The couple created the Saratoga Backstretch Appreciation Program in 2008, organizing free events and services for backstretch workers. Hendrickson has continued their work, lending support to initiatives such as backstretch appreciation dinners, English as a Second Language classes, and entertainment. Last year, a backstretch health-care clinic at Saratoga Race Course, the construction of which Hendrickson funded, celebrated its opening. “This is a really great day and I know Marylou is looking down and is extremely happy,” Hendrickson said at the ribbon-cutting ceremony in August 2023. "They say health care is the foundation of every community. . . . Marylou thought that Saratoga should be the summer place for everyone, especially for those who take care of our beloved Thoroughbreds.” Hall of Fame trainer Nick Zito, who conditioned horses such as 2004 Belmont and Travers Stakes winner Birdstone for Whitney, said that Hendrickson’s commitment extended behind the scenes. The trainer said there were many times when a friend of his needed to go to the local hospital that he would call Hendrickson and that person would get admitted right away. Zito recalled one time when Dottie Terrill, wife of trainer Red Terrill, was at the hospital and was in the hallway waiting for a room. “John himself went right down there and got Miss Dottie a room,” Zito said. Zito, sitting in his truck on the Saratoga backside, said, “The most important thing that John should be remembered for is what did he did back here.” Hendrickson, who formerly served as a New York Racing Association board member, also contributed funding toward the New York Racetrack Chaplaincy Center at Belmont Park in 2023. He also supported numerous organizations throughout Saratoga Springs, including the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Saratoga Hospital, and the National Museum of Dance. In 2015, as part of the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the incorporation of the city, Hendrickson and Whitney commissioned a life-size bronze sculpture of legendary racehorse Native Dancer and gifted it to the city to celebrate the milestone; it stands at the end of Union Avenue, less than a mile from the main gate of Saratoga Race Course. Two years earlier, Hendrickson was instrumental in the planning of the city-wide celebration of the 150th anniversary of the inaugural 1863 Saratoga race meeting. “John was a highly respected civic leader in the Saratoga community who played an important role as board chair of the National Museum of Racing, and as an instrumental member of the committee that orchestrated the 150th anniversary of horse racing at Saratoga,” NYRA president and CEO David O’Rourke said in a statement. “John was a devoted philanthropist in support of the Saratoga backstretch community and, most recently, played a pivotal role in the construction of the Saratoga Backstretch Clinic. His contributions to horse racing and to Saratoga will long be remembered.” More information on services for Hendrickson – who, prior to meeting Whitney, was a tennis champion and an aide to Alaska governor Wally Hickel – is forthcoming. More information is also forthcoming on his successor to lead the board of the Hall of Fame. --additional reporting by David Grening :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.