Racing returns to Santa Anita Park and another tragedy strikes as horse named Arms Runner fell on the dirt track crossover and had to be euthanized. This was the 23rd horse death since December 23. Trumpeter Jay Cohen was back after three months out with Bell's Palsy.
Santa Anita Park opens the 2010-2011 season with a new $3 million dirt surface on its track. The on-track attendance was 34,268, which was 1,400 less than last year. Trumpeter Jay Cohen calls the horses to the gate (photo).
John Shear is turning 93 years old. He is celebrated as an everyday hero. He is a Santa Anita Park racetrack worker whose quick response saved a toddler's life on March 12, 2011. He was hurt then, but is surviving.
John Shear, a 90-year-old paddock guard at Santa Anita Park, has been hospitalized for putting himself between a 6-year-old girl and a charging race horse called See and Sage. The girl was not hurt but Shear had several broken bones.
John Shear (pictured), a 5-foot, 110-pound, 90-year-old paddock supervisor at Santa Anita Park, nearly lost his life when he threw himself in the path of a runaway horse on March 12 to protect a little girl he didn't know. He has worked seasonally for Santa Anita Park for nearly 50 years. He sustained a fractured pelvis and other injuries but is recuperating at home now. He is a hero.
Santa Anita Park race track draws 44,000 plus fans on this season's opening day December 26. Hero John Shear (photo) returns to track duties as paddock guard after saving a child's life last spring. Jockey Mike Smith rides Mr. Bossy Pants to win the 7th race (photo).
Sierra Madre hero John Shear was honored during opening weekend at Santa Anita Park. On March 12, 2011, the then 90-year-old British native John Shear saved a young girl's life at the track when a horse bolted in her direction.
Veteran paddock guard at Santa Anita Park, John Shear, will be honored on October 1, for his heroic act of shielding a 6-year-old girl from a runaway horse on March 12, 2011, with a race named "The John Shear Hero Purse." The race will include a winner's circle ceremony in which 90-year-old Shear will be recognized.
Paddock guard John Shear, a hero who was injured saving a girl from a runaway horse, has returned to work at Santa Anita Park. He turns 91 years old next month. He is a 5 foot tall, 110 pound Sierra Madre resident and sustained a fractured pelvis, internal bleeding and other injuries when he had a head-on collision with horse "Sea and Sage" on March 12, 2011.
Heroic 90 year-old Santa Anita Park paddock guard John Shear will be featured on Horse Racing Television (HRTV) this Sunday, on the "Inside Information" documentary series. He saved a young girl from serious injury while doing his job.
Santa Anita Park restaurants and eateries cut back by limiting service. The FrontRunner will serve fewer items during satellite wagering period and the Turf Club and Club House will be closed entirely. Photos of Jay Cohen, trumpeter, Billy Malone and kitchen staff and counter.
Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension opens with big party. Thousands line up for free rides on Saturday, March 5, 2016. Jay Cohen (pictured), Santa Anita Park's legendary bugler plays a tune at the Arcadia Station.
Santa Anita Park. Jockeys’ Guild wipes whip plans. California Horse Racing Board accepting comments on ‘corrective safety measures.’ Jockeys’ Guild postponing an apparent stunt in which jockeys planned to ride without whips. The California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) is currently accepting comments for a proposed statewide change that would limit the use of whips, or riding crops, to “corrective safety measures.” The guild is opposed to the change. Thoroughbred Owners of California asked the jockeys to cancel the plan, according to Terry Meyocks, guild president and CEO.
CalPhil opens Festival on the Green summer concert series on June 30 with a concert featuring singer Vanessa Carlton, the USC Trojan Marching Band, and pyrotechnics, at Santa Anita Park. See hard copy in VF "Santa Anita Park 2011-2020."