US EditionJohn Shirreffs, Trainer of Zenyatta, Dies at 80
John Shirreffs died in his sleep at 80 near Santa Anita Park after a recent illness; he achieved 596 career wins including training the champion mare Zenyatta.
- John Shirreffs, the soft-spoken trainer, died Thursday in his sleep at his home near Santa Anita Park at age 80 with no cause announced.
- After Vietnam, Shirreffs's unplanned racetrack job in Northern California started his training career, taking room-and-board work before rising as a trainer.
- Shirreffs trained Zenyatta, whose 2009 Breeders' Cup Classic win at Santa Anita became a signature moment, and won the 2005 Kentucky Derby with Giacomo, compiling 3,589 starts, 596 wins, and $58.5 million in purses.
- Santa Anita Park said it joins the racing community in mourning Shirreffs's sudden passing, extending condolences to his wife, Dottie Ingordo, and family, while no funeral arrangements have been announced.
- At Santa Anita, Shirreffs's impact endures through Zenyatta's statue and local memory; he was celebrated for a horse-first, soft-spoken style and won his final race two weeks ago.
12 Articles
12 Articles
John Shirreffs dies after winning over £43m prize money as statement sparks flood of tributes for legendary horse trainer
John Shirreffs, the celebrated American horse trainer who guided Zenyatta to Breeders' Cup Classic glory and saddled Giacomo for victory in the 2005 Kentucky Derby, has died at the age of 80.The former US Marine and Vietnam veteran reportedly passed away peacefully in his sleep in California on Thursday.Throughout his distinguished career, horses under his care accumulated prize money exceeding £43million, cementing his status as one of the spor…
Los Angeles Times
horseracingnation.comJohn Shirreffs, trainer of Zenyatta and Giacomo, dies at 80
He became a horse trainer almost by happenstance, but he guided perhaps the greatest mare of all-time to a Hall of Fame career and won the Kentucky Derby with a longshot.
Training Great John Shirreffs Passes Away at 80
A trainer built equal parts brilliant and idiosyncratic, John Shirreffs passed away quietly in his sleep overnight Wednesday into Thursday morning. He was 80 years old. He leaves behind the kind of record unmatched by all but a select few. At the summit of Shirreffs's mammoth achievements was of course Zenyatta–elegant and imperious, who between 2007 and 2010 achieved the near impossible: 19 straight wins and 13 Grade I victories including back-…
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