Celebration of Life

Santa Anita Park will host friends of late trainer John Shirreffs for a Celebration of Life to be held Sunday, March 15 in the Chandelier Room from 1-3 p.m. The public gathering is open to all who knew the trainer during his tenure as a fixture on the Southern California racing circuit, including his many years at Santa Anita Park. Shirreffs passed away unexpectedly at age 80 on Feb. 12 in his Arcadia, CA home after a brief illness.

A service to celebrate the life of Classic-winning trainer Ian Balding will be held on Sunday, April 19, at Park House Stables, Kingsclere.  Balding, who died on January 2 at the age of 87, made an indelible impression on the turf, both as the trainer of a swathe of top-class horses including Mill Reef, and as a mentor to many young people who subsequently graduated to success in the sport.  His son Andrew, now one of Britain's leading trainers, succeeded him at the helm of Kingsclere in 2002 and has...

Kathy Walsh, the former trainer who died last month at age 85, will be honored with a 'Celebration of Life' Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. in the 100-1 room at Santa Anita. In addition, the fifth race is named in Walsh's honor. The reception at the 100-1 includes a cash bar and free appetizers compliments of Santa Anita. All are welcome to attend. Walsh was a trainer from 1970 until her retirement in 2021. She won 1,232 races and earned training titles at Longacres in Washington state and Canterbury...

A celebration of life is planned for longtime equine insurance agent Louis Joseph Smith Jr., who passed away Nov. 20 of last year in Ocala, Florida at the age of 77. The event will take place at Monmouth Park on Saturday, Aug. 17 and a race will be named in his honor. Smith was in the racing business for 36 years as an owner. He served as a valued insurance agent, safeguarding the well-being of the horses and providing peace of mind to his clients. A member of the Louisiana...

A celebration of life for Kentucky horseman James M. Herbener, Jr. will be held in Fasig-Tipton's Lexington, Kentucky sales pavilion Saturday, Oct. 23. It will begin at 5 pm and will be immediately followed by a reception in the pavilion's upstairs bar. All those that wish to attend are welcome. Those that cannot attend may view the service via livestream by following this link.

In lieu of a funeral, a Celebration of Life for Mike Recio will be held at the Thoroughbred Club of America next to Keeneland on Friday, Oct. 1, from 6:30-9:00pm. Everyone who was a friend, family, business associate, etc., is invited to come tell some stories, and celebrate his life. Food and drinks will be served. Bloodstock agent and consignor Mike Recio passed away Sept. 16, at the age of 46 after battling sepsis. The son of respected Ocala horseman Bill Recio, he had been involved in the Thoroughbred racing...