It was inevitable, but heartbreaking nonetheless. No one lives forever, but if anyone deserved an endless life it was John Shear, Santa Anita’s beloved “Paddock Captain” who died Tuesday at a rehabilitation facility in Arcadia.
In his 1968 hit song “Abraham, Martin and John (yes, some of us are old enough to remember it),” Dion DiMucci sang, “It seems the good they die young,” but Dion obviously never met Shear, as delightful a personality as you’ll ever meet.
Shear was 102 when called to heaven, his work with us mortals complete. I’m sure Saint Peter gave him a hearty high-five and ushered him right through the Pearly Gates. If anyone deserved such treatment, it was Shear. If you can find anyone associated with Santa Anita that had a bad word about him, it’s the best kept secret in the history of secrets.
I interviewed Shear on the eve of his 100th birthday in January 2021. He was six months away from retirement after stepping away because of the pandemic.
He sounded as upbeat as always. The man was still doing 35 push-ups a day at age 90. I can’t do 10 push-ups now, and I’m nowhere near 90. He hoped to return to Santa Anita after the pandemic, but he never did. His work was complete and he showed all of us the way we’re supposed to live our lives.
Shear is best known for perhaps saving a 5-year-old girl from being trampled by a loose horse nearly 13 years ago. Paddock workers are the ones who hold the rope when the horses are in the walking ring before heading to the track, but Shear was hardly your ordinary paddock worker on this day. He jumped in front of the horse, shielding young Roxy Key and putting his own life in danger. Roxy was unharmed, but her knight in shining armor was seriously injured.
He was rushed to Huntington Memorial Hospital in critical condition with several fractures throughout his body and remained there for seven weeks. He survived because he still had 12 more years of work to do. The Lord knows a good soldier when He sees one, and Shear set an example we’d all be wise to try to emulate.
“I believe that I’ve (already) had a life, and that little child hadn’t,” Shear told me. “I believe that if I can save somebody, let them carry on with their life, that’s important to me.”
Nicknamed “Little John” because of his 4-foot-11 frame, Shear lived a life that was anything but little. He’s probably most known for that March 12 afternoon in 2011 when he reacted quickly and selflessly to perhaps save a young child’s life, but Shear was more than one afternoon. He was beloved by fans, fellow employees, jockeys and horsemen because of the entirety of his life. He was quick with a smile and loved everything about the sport.
Still, what he did to save Roxy will live on at Santa Anita forever. The incident didn’t define Shear’s life, it just enhanced it.
“He didn’t save a daughter, he saved a family,” Roxy’s father, Michael, told ESPN when Roxy and Shears reunited two years later. Her mother referred to Shear as her daughter’s “guardian angel.”
When I talked to Shear about his 100th birthday, he acted like it was no big deal. He planned to spend the day at his Sierra Madre home with his wife of 56 years, Diane, and their 54-year-old son Michael while watching the Santa Anita races on television.
“It’s just the same as 99. It’s just another year,” Shear said matter-of-factly.
Santa Anita named a race after him that day while he sat home enjoying cake and welcoming friends who stopped by.
“I pay no attention to time,” Shear said. “I just keep working until they tell me to go home. I’m happy, I’m glad I can (still) work. I enjoy myself.”
Shear was born in London, migrated to Canada shortly after World War II and found his way to Southern California to become an exercise rider in 1954. He’d always dreamed of becoming a jockey and even rode in a few races as an apprentice in England, but he never won a race.
“Being a jockey, it’s a tough business,” Shear said. “You gotta risk your life on a horse.”
He knows all about risking a life, and he soon gave up the idea of joining a brigade of great riders like Johnny Longden and Eddie Arcaro. Instead, he decided to play the role of hero. It’s a part he played to perfection, and those fortunate enough to have known Shear are better people because of it.
Shear is survived by his wife and son, who said that at some point in the near future the family would hold a private ceremony to honor a man who will never be forgotten by Santa Anita or its fans.
“John will be deeply missed by countless life-long friends here at Santa Anita,” the track’s senior vice president and general manager Nate Newby said in a statement. “We were honored to have him as part of the Santa Anita family for more than 60 years of dedicated service and we’ll never forget him.”
Follow Art Wilson on X @Sham73
