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Centurian John Shear To Be Honored On Opening Day At Santa Anita Park

John Shear, Santa Anita's 100-year-old Paddock Captain, who has retired from The Great Race Place following more than 60 years of great memories and dedicated service, will be honored at the track on opening day Friday.

Shear, who gained national attention nine years ago when he heroically threw himself between an on-rushing loose horse and a five-year-old girl who was standing beside her father just outside the track's Seabiscuit Walking Ring, will be feted with a special Paddock dedication.

A commemorative plaque honoring Shear's decades-long commitment to customer service and safety will be unveiled in Santa Anita's Paddock Gardens area at 12:05 p.m. and Shear will be lauded in a Winner's Circle ceremony as well.

“For 60 years, I worked all the Southern California racetracks, met many incredible people and saw the best horses,” the diminutive and immensely popular Shear said upon announcing his retirement recently. “It has been a career I look back (upon) with great pride and wonderful memories. I'm in great health and will visit Santa Anita as a fan.”

Sidelined due to COVID-related restrictions at the track earlier in the year, Shear was reluctant to call it a career, but decided ultimately to contact his union local and at last enjoy the benefits of retirement.

“John really wanted to go back to work this year, but with COVID basically shutting things down, it just wasn't possible,” said his wife Diane by phone from their home in nearby Sierra Madre. “He misses the horses and the people so much.

“The fans, the jockeys, the trainers, everybody, it's just been his life forever. We're thrilled to learn that Santa Anita is going to honor him in this way and we can't wait to come out on Oct. 1. It should be a great day.”

Orphaned as a young boy in his native England, Shear, at four feet, 11 inches, originally aspired to be a jockey and following service in World War II, he emigrated to Vancouver, B.C., from where he came to Santa Anita for the first time as an exercise boy in 1954.

“I was exercising horses for a guy in Vancouver and he asked me if I'd like to go with him to Santa Anita that fall,” said Shear when interviewed prior to his 100th birthday this past January. “I said, 'Sure,' and as soon as I stepped off that van in the Stable Area here, is said 'Lord, this is where I want to be.' The place was so incredibly beautiful and I've never gotten tired of it.”

A big believer in daily exercise, Shear, who remains a svelte 104 pounds, had this simple advice for a long life prior to his 99th birthday:

“Find something you love, stay positive and exercise!”

Sound advice for from one of Santa Anita's most deserving and treasured icons.

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Breeders’ Cup Announces Post Times For 2021 World Championships At Del Mar

The Breeders' Cup today announced post times for the two-day Breeders' Cup World Championships on Nov. 5-6 at Del Mar racetrack in Del Mar, California. There will be 14 Breeders' Cup World Championships races and eight undercard races with total purses and awards of more than $31 million over the two days.

The official race order and wagering menu for both days of the Championships will be announced on Wednesday, Oct. 27.

The 38th Breeders' Cup begins on Friday, Nov. 5 with Future Stars Friday, featuring all five Breeders' Cup World Championships races for 2-year-olds. There will be five undercard races preceding the first Breeders' Cup race on Friday's 10-race program, with the first race post time at 11:55 a.m. PT. Friday's first Breeders' Cup World Championships race will be Race #6, which will have a post time of 2:50 p.m. PT. Friday's 10th race, the $1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1), will have a post time of 5:30 p.m. PT.

There will be 12 races on the Saturday, Nov. 6 program, featuring nine Breeders' Cup World Championships races. The first race post time will be 10:15 a.m. PT. The first Breeders' Cup World Championships race will be Race #4, which will have a post time of 12:05 p.m. PT.

Post time for the $6 million Longines Breeders' Cup Classic (G1), Race #12, will be at 5:40 p.m. PT.

2021 Breeders' Cup World Championships Post Times

All Times Pacific

Friday, November 5

Race 1 11:55 AM
Race 2 12:25 PM
Race 3 12:55 PM
Race 4 1:30 PM
Race 5 2:05 PM
Race 6 2:50 PM
Race 7 3:30 PM
Race 8 4:10 PM
Race 9 4:50 PM
Race 10 5:30 PM

Saturday, November 6

Race 1 10:15 AM
Race 2 10:50 AM
Race 3 11:25 AM
Race 4 12:05 PM
Race 5 12:40 PM
Race 6 1:19 PM
Race 7 1:59 PM
Race 8 2:38 PM
Race 9 3:20 PM
Race 10 4:00 PM
Race 11 4:40 PM
Race 12 5:40 PM Breeders' Cup Classic

About Breeders' Cup

Breeders' Cup Limited administers the Breeders' Cup World Championships, Thoroughbred horse racing's year-end Championships, as well as the Breeders' Cup Challenge qualifying series, which provides automatic starting positions into the Championships races. The Breeders' Cup is also a founding member of the Thoroughbred Safety Coalition, an organization composed of industry leaders committed to advancing safety measures in Thoroughbred racing and improving the well-being of equine and human athletes.

The 2021 Breeders' Cup World Championships, consisting of 14 Championship races, is scheduled to be held on November 5-6 at Del Mar racetrack in Del Mar, California. The event will be televised live by the NBC Sports Group. Breeders' Cup press releases appear on the Breeders' Cup website, breederscup.com. You can also follow the Breeders' Cup on social media.

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Notable US-Bred & -Sired Runners in Japan: Oct. 2 & 3, 2021

In this continuing series, we take a look ahead at US-bred and/or conceived runners entered for the upcoming weekend at the tracks on the Japan Racing Association circuit, with a focus on pedigree and/or performance in the sales ring. Here are the horses of interest for this weekend running at Chukyo and Nakayama Racecourses. A trio of American-bred runners takes their place in a field of 18 for Sunday's Sprinters' S. at the latter venue as Group 1 racing returns to Japan for the first time since late June:

Saturday, October 2, 2021
9th-NKY, ¥30,400,000 ($271k), Allowance, 2yo, 2000mT
BEYOND THE FATHER (JPN) (c, 2, Curlin–Galileo's Song {Ire}, by Galileo {Ire}) is the first foal from his multiple Grade III-placed dam, a $1-million purchase by Shimokobe Farm with this colt in utero at Keeneland November in 2018. Galileo's Song is a half-sister to Magnificent Song (Unbridled's Song), who came from 11th and last to validate favoritism in the 2006 GI Garden City Breeders' Cup S. on the grass at Belmont Park. Beyond the Father debuted with a five-length victory on the dirt at Niigata Aug. 7 (see below, gate 7), but tries the turf this time around. Mirco Demuro has a return call. B-Shimokobe Farm

Sunday, October 3, 2021
2nd-NKY, ¥9,680,000 ($86k), Maiden, 2yo, 1600mT
SEA VIXEN (f, 2, Into Mischief–Sly Warrior, by First Samurai) has burned money as the favorite in her first two trips to the races, each over the metric seven furlongs, finishing a debut third at Sapporo Aug. 22 before improving one spot at that track Sept. 5. A $130,000 KEESEP yearling turned $500,000 OBS March breezer, the bay is out of a half-sister to MSP Pull Dancer (Pulpit), the dam of the versatile MGSW & MGISP Good Samaritan (Harlan's Holiday) and GSW Brave Nation (Pioneerof the Nile). The filly's third dam Emmaus (Silver Deputy), a half-sister to Caress (Storm Cat) and Bernstein (Storm Cat) et. al., produced Horse of the Year Wise Dan's sire Wiseman's Ferry (Hennessy). Breeze Easy acquired the filly's dam for $50,000 in foal to Kitten's Joy at Fasig-Tipton November in 2017. B-Breeze Easy LLC (KY)

4th-CKO, ¥13,400,000 ($120k), Newcomers, 2yo, 1800m
ARME MATE (c, 2, Frosted–G Note, by Medaglia d'Oro) breezed an eighth of a mile in :10 flat at this year's OBS April Sale and was hammered down for $210,000. The New York-bred is out of a daughter of these breeders' GSW Seeking the Ante (Seeking the Gold), whose MSW daughter Mineralogist (Mineshaft) bred SW Can You Diggit (Tiznow). The Bromans acquired the colt's multiple Grade I-winning third dam Antespend (Spend A Buck) for $900,000 at Keeneland April in 1997 and from her, bred Friends Lake (A.P. Indy), winner of the 2004 GI Florida Derby. B-Chester & Mary Broman (NY)

STRIKE RICH (JPN) (c, 2, American Pharoah–Opulence, by Giant's Causeway), a half-brother to Japanese winner Fort Wadsworth (Verrazano), is the first Japanese-foaled produce for his dam, an unraced daughter of Eclipse Award and GI Belmont S. winner Rags To Riches (A.P. Indy). Third dam Better Than Honour (Deputy Minister), the $14-million mare, also produced Rags To Riches's Belmont-winning half-brother Jazil (Seeking the Gold); GSW/G1SP Casino Drive (Mineshaft); SW Man of Iron (Giant's Causeway); and the dam of GISW Streaming (Smart Strike) and SWs Treasuring (Smart Strike) and Cascading (A.P. Indy). B-Mishima Bokujo

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‘More Opportunities’ Leading To Career Year For Trainer Luis Carvajal

Despite the absence of a “big” horse, trainer Luis Carvajal, Jr. has still managed to produce a breakout year in a career that began in 2006. The formula for the success has been pretty basic: More starters than ever before helped produced more winners than he has ever had before.

He doesn't intend slow down yet, either, with horses entered in each of the first two nights of the Monmouth-at-Meadowlands meet that gets underway on Friday, Oct. 1. The six-race, all-turf cards during the seven-day meet will have a first race post time of 7 p.m.

Carvajal will send out Fly Fly Away, one of the likely favorites, in Friday's second race at a mile and a sixteenth, and Le Coste in Saturday's fifth race at one mile.

It's all in an effort to add to what has been a banner year for the 49-year-old native of Santiago, Chile.

“The big difference this year is that I have more owners giving me more horses,” said Carvajal. “More horses mean more opportunities to win.

“It's a lot of work having more horses. But I have a great team. It doesn't matter how many horses you have if you have good help. It makes everything so much easier.”

Carvajal has sent out a career-high 192 starters in 2021, resulting in a personal-best of 30 winners. His increased workload is best reflected in the recently-completed Monmouth Park meet, where he sent out 17 winners from 109 starters compared to nine winners from 61 starters a year ago.

“Yes, this definitely has been my best year,” said Carvajal. “It's a lot of fun when you win races.”

That's saying something since Carvajal campaigned multiple Grade 1 winner Imperial Hint until his retirement in 2020. In 2018 alone, Imperial Hint accounted for $767,500 of Carvajal's $1,115,573 in earnings that year. That remains his high water mark in earnings, with his stable of mostly allowance horses, claimers and maidens producing $805,011 in earnings this year.

“I'm looking for my next big horse,” he said. “That always makes things easier.”

Fly Fly Away, meanwhile, enters Friday on a form spree, with two wins and a pair of seconds in his past four starts.

“The horse is doing good. I think he will run a really good race,” said Carvajal. “My only concern is this will be his first time under the lights. But it's the same for a lot of horses. They have never raced under the lights. We'll see how some of them handle it.”

Carvajal's plans are to stay through the Monmouth-at-Meadowlands Meet, which runs until Oct. 30, and then move his stable to Tampa Downs before returning to Monmouth Park next spring.

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