Heroic Santa Anita paddock guard to be released from
hospital
John Shear, Santa Anita’s 90-year-old paddock guard who was gravely injured
while protecting a six-year-old girl from a runaway horse on March 12, will be
released from Huntington Memorial Hospital on Saturday, according to his son,
Michael.
“My dad wishes to thank you all for your prayers, generosity, and well
wishes,” Shear said. “It has been a tremendous strength to him over these past
difficult weeks. He’ll be released from the hospital this Saturday and will be
going home, where he will continue with physical therapy.
“His doctors are amazed at the progress he’s made. He was badly injured and
he was in very, very bad shape the first few days following the accident. He
lost quite a bit of blood internally and his blood pressure got very low. My dad
has always prided himself on eating well and staying physically fit and there’s
no doubt this has helped him immensely.”
Shear, a former rider, who has been employed seasonally at Santa Anita since
December 23, 1961, sustained a fractured pelvis and other injuries as a result
of the incident which took place prior to the 3RD race on March 12.
Shear was in his customary position, holding a perimeter rope on the east end
of the track’s walking ring. As the field of 10 horses was readying for the
upcoming race, Sea and Sage (Sea of Secrets), a three-year-old gelding, wheeled,
freeing himself from his handler and in a 180 degree about-face, sprinted toward
the opening Shear was guarding.
As seen on live television, Shear threw himself in front of the young girl,
in an act of selfless heroism that could well have saved her life.
“By any accounting, John Shear is a hero,” Santa Anita President George
Haines said. “He is an amazing human being and we are elated that he is going to
be going home much sooner than was originally thought. Through all of these
years, John has been a great employee, a man that his peers looked up to. He
loves this business and as he’s said many times, he loves being around it, the
horses, the people and show that we all work so hard to put on.
“On behalf of all of us here at Santa Anita, we want to wish John a speedy
recovery and look forward to honoring him this coming fall. He is truly one of a
kind.”
The young girl had been brought to the track by her father, who wanted her to
see that small people, jockeys, can be very successful. She was uninjured, as
was Sea and Sage.