Attendees at a reception this morning for the opening of a new exhibit of historical photos of Santa Anita Park at the Ruth and Charles Gilb Arcadia Historical Museum that runs through January 21, were treated to an hour of firsthand anecdotes about the track.
John Shearer (l) and Alan Balch
The two fascinating guest speakers were John Shear, former rider/trainer and recent 90-year-old hero rescuer of a six-year-old child at the track, and Alan Balch, who was a Santa Anita marketing executive at the track during the 1984 Olympics.
Shear, who is returning for another season of work at the track on opening day Dec. 26, surprised some of the group when he noted that Senator Robert F. Kennedy assassin Sirhan Sirhan worked for Shear as a stable boy at the track in 1965-66. Sirhan was still hanging around the track as a bettor when he murdered the Presidential candidate in 1968. Shearer said he was interviewed by the media about Sirhan within a half-hour of the assassination.
Balch provided dozens of historic slides and many anecdotes about the former owners and management as well as his Olympics experience with Prince Phillip driving a team of six Clydesdale horses. Balch provided more details about his years at the track for a story here on ArcadiasBest.com tied to the 25th anniversary of the Olympics in 2009, and for a historical marker dedicated by the Arcadia Historical Society for the 75th anniversary of the track that same year.
Below are just a few snapshots of the new exhibit at the Museum. You may see the exhibit for free during Museum hours of 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Tuesday – Saturday at 380 W. Huntington Blvd. behind (east) of the Community Center.
Mayor Gary Kovacic vintage photos.
— By Scott Hettrick