Santa Anita has announced that it will be honouring its 90-year-old paddock guard John Shear with a race entitled 'The John Shear Hero Purse' on Saturday, Oct. 1

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On March 12, Shear was rushed to hospital after having thrown himself in the path of a loose thoroughbred in order to protect a six-year-old girl. The ex-jockey suffered several injuries, including a fractured pelvis, and lost a large amount of blood due to internal bleeding.

"This is going to be a very proud moment for all of us here at Santa Anita," Santa Anita President George Haines said. "John is a one-in-a-million type of person and he's made an amazing recovery from what could have been a catastrophic accident. This was a truly amazing act of heroism and he never thought twice about it-he just reacted instinctively to protect the little girl."

(With files from sgvtribune.com)

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