Hero who threw himself in front of horse to save five-year-old girl dies age 102
A hugely popular racetrack employee who became a national hero after saving a five-year-old girl from a charging racehorse has died at the age of 102.
John Shear, who was born in England where he was raised in an orphanage before moving to the United States, was 90 when he prevented the child from almost certain catastrophic injury or possibly worse.
He had become a beloved member of the team at Santa Anita racecourse in Los Angeles, California, where he was the track’s ‘paddock captain’ and only retired aged 100 in July 2021.
His family announced he had died from natural causes in a rehabilitation facility in nearby Arcadia.
“John will be deeply missed by countless lifelong friends here at Santa Anita,” said Nate Newby, Santa Anita’s senior vice president and general manager.
Housebound ex-serviceman enjoys special window visit from physio's horse
“We were honoured to have him as part of the Santa Anita family for more than 60 years of dedicated service and we’ll never forget him.”
Born 1921, Shear lived in an orphanage from the age of four and served in an anti-aircraft unit during World War II,.
Standing only 4ft 11ins tall, he originally aspired to be a jockey. He emigrated to Vancouver, Canada, where he exercised horses, eventually arriving at Santa Anita 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 on the occasion of his 99th birthday.
“I said ‘Sure,’ and as soon as I stepped off that van in the stable area here, I said ‘Lord, this is where I want to be.’ The place was so incredibly beautiful and I’ve never gotten tired of it.”
Shear came to national attention in March 12, 2011 when he threw himself in front of a loose horse that was heading towards a five-year-old girl near the Santa Anita Seabiscuit walking ring.
He took the impact from the horse, sustaining multiple fractures to his pelvis, hip, back and cheekbone as well as internal bleeding which resulted in a significant loss of blood.
The child, Roxy Key, escaped unscathed, her mother later referring to Shear as as her daughter’s “guardian angel". Roxy’s father, Michael Key, said, “He didn’t save a daughter, he saved a family.”
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