Shear, 100, Retires as Santa Anita Paddock Captain
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Photo: Benoit Photo
John Shear
John Shear, the 100-year-old longtime paddock captain at Santa Anita Park, announced his retirement on social media July 26.
Employed at Santa Anita since 1961, Shear became a beloved figure there. Track officials and horsemen praised him for jumping in front of a loose horse running toward a young girl just outside the Santa Anita paddock in 2011. He fell, suffering multiple fractures to his pelvis, hip, back, and cheekbone, and experienced internal bleeding. Remarkably, he was back at work in less than a year.
The city of Sierra Madre, where he lives, feted him as a "Hometown Hero" during its 2011 Fourth of July Parade.
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"It's official: I have retired from work," Shear wrote Monday on Twitter. "For 60 years, I worked all the Southern California racetracks, met many incredible people, and saw the best horses. It has been a career I look back with great pride and wonderful memories. I'm in great health and will visit (Santa Anita) as a fan."
Orphaned as a young boy in London and wounded by German artillery in World War II, the diminutive Shear became an exercise rider, groom, and assistant trainer after initially aspiring to be a jockey.
Dozens replied on his Twitter account to wish him well, with many commending him for his work ethic and contributions to California racing.