Somber Mood at Santa Anita Following Shirreffs' Death

The mood was heavy at Santa Anita Park Feb. 13 following the death one day earlier of esteemed Santa Anita-based trainer John Shirreffs.

At Shirreffs' Barn 47 on the Santa Anita backstretch Friday morning, stable staff was diligently going about its business of training a string of 30-plus horses. Among those at the barn was Shirreffs' top client, owner Lee Searing of C R K Stable.

"He was a great man. It was an honor to have him in our lives," Searing said. 

Shirreffs died in his sleep in the overnight hours of Wednesday into Thursday morning at the age of 80. According to Searing, he was found deceased on the couch by his wife, Dottie Ingordo-Shirreffs. 

"John was in good shape. He got hit hard with something that took him down," Searing said

READ: Shirreffs, Trainer of Zenyatta, Dies at Age 80

In a training career that began in the 1970s, Shirreffs won 596 races and more than $58 million in purse money. Born in Kansas, Shirreffs was a United States Marine and served in Vietnam before embarking on his training career. Most notably as a trainer, Shirreffs won the 2009 Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) with the Hall of Fame mare Zenyatta  and the 2005 Kentucky Derby (G1) with Giacomo . 

Searing said he and Shirreffs had spent last weekend in Florida looking at 2-year-olds. All was well in Florida, but upon their return, Shirreffs began to get sick. 

"He was so excited when we were in Florida," Searing said. "We were looking at our 2-year-olds that are ready to come to the track in April and May. He was excited because this is probably the best group I've ever had—and there are 28 of them. He had a great time. He was healthy, had a great dinner. 

"Then on Monday, he didn't sound really good. Tuesday was worse. I told him 'John, get to the doctor, go now.'

"On Wednesday he was back here at Santa Anita. That's when he told me he couldn't work. I told him again to get to the doctor. He did. I don't know anything after that, but it was that night he fell asleep on the couch, and Dottie found him. John was a healthy guy. It seems to me he may have caught some kind of a virus, like a flu or something."

Searing had 12 horses with Shirreffs at the time of his death, which include grade 1 winner Baeza  and grade 2 winner Westwood . On Jan. 31 at Santa Anita, Westwood won the San Pasqual Stakes (G2) as Shirreffs' final starter.

Searing said Baeza, Westwood, and the rest of his horses are, at least for now, being moved to the Santa Anita barn of Peter Eurton, who has also been another longtime trainer for C R K Stable. Further moves could be forthcoming. Most notably with Baeza, who Searing said will likely be moved out of state for his 4-year-old campaign. 

As for the rest of Shirreffs' barn, the plan is for operations to shut down immediately, Searing said. 

"I'm with his family now and they have some decisions make on what to do to close down the stable, but they want it done immediately," he said. "I think everyone's going to cooperate."

Shirreffs had one horse entered this week, the 4-year-old maiden colt Silent Way , who is scheduled to go in the second race Feb. 15. Silent Way is listed with Eurton as trainer for that race entry on Equibase as of mid-afternoon Friday.

As for Shirreffs' legacy, Searing said he and his partner in Baeza, co-owner Robert Clay of Grandview Equine, have a singular goal for this year. 

"Robert Clay's comment to me was, 'Lee, we're on a mission. The year 2026 is not going by without John Shirreffs being in the Hall of Fame.' Wouldn't that be great."

Santa Anita hosted a moment of silence for Shirreffs after the first race on Friday. 

HORSEMEN HONOR LATE COLLEAGUE

Top of mind among trainers and jockeys Friday morning at Santa Anita was the loss of John Shirreffs, the esteemed horseman who died in his sleep Thursday at the age of 80. Below are some of their reactions:

Victor Espinoza, Hall of Fame jockey: "A lot of memories with John. John and I go way back to when I first moved here. It was Hollywood Park. He helped me a lot. He put me on some nice horses. From that point on until his final day, he was always good to me. Great trainer. There was a time when I rode pretty much all of his horses. It was so fun to be around him. You could learn so much. He had a different technique. He was just a unique guy."

Jonathan Thomas, trainer: "I'm a newbie, this is our second winter here. But when I first came, there were a handful of people that were extra hospitable to me coming out here. One of them was John. The first time I met him, he stopped me. He had an idea who I was but wanted to know my story and where I was from. It was very welcoming. 

"Then after that, anytime I saw him I needed to make sure I had a free 20 minutes because it would be a nice opportunity to further get to know him, hear stories, and pick his brain a little bit about horses and training. He was an extremely welcoming guy. Almost like I knew him for 20 years. He went out of his way to do that. As somewhat of a younger guy, there are a few here like (Neil) Drysdale, (Richard) Mandella, John, and Bob (Baffert) of course, that are on the Mt. Rushmore of training." 

Phil D'Amato, trainer: "I thought of him as a gentleman trainer. Always with a smile on his face. I had the utmost respect for him. Just an all-around good guy and an excellent horseman."  

Craig Lewis, trainer: "I talked to him for a half hour the day before. He walked by my barn almost every day. A really nice guy who was great for the game. It's a shame. Sad to see him die." 

Jack Carava, former trainer and jockey agent: "He was just a good all-around guy and a good horseman. I didn't know him really well, but I remember the times when we were training together at Hollywood Park. He was always a gentleman."