Santa Anita to honor Disney

Jack Disney, who covered and ran with the likes of Dean Chance, Bo Belinsky,

"Hot Rod" Hundley, Elgin Baylor, John McKay, Marcus Allen and Howie Long while a

sportswriter with the defunct Los Angeles Herald Examiner, will have a race

named in his honor at Santa Anita on January 27, as The Great Race Place will

celebrate his recent retirement from the track's publicity department.

"We are honored to be able to salute Jack in this way," Santa Anita President

George Haines said. "He has long been one of the most respected guys in town and

he always did a tremendous job for us in publicity. Jack has a great rapport

with the media, horsemen, jockeys, our employees and fans and while we wish him

well in his retirement, we truly miss having him with us on a regular basis.

"Jack provided us with the kind of stability, respect and solid judgment that

are hard to find and we want to sincerely thank him for representing Santa Anita

in the manner he did for so many years."

In addition to "The Jack Disney Purse," Disney's career will also be

recognized by the city of Arcadia, California as January 27 will be designated

as "Jack Disney Day" city-wide.

A native Angelino who attended Fairfax High and counted among his classmates

eventual 1959 World Series MVP Larry Sherry, trumpet legend Herb Alpert and pro

football quarterback/vice presidential candidate Jack Kemp, Disney had his

sights set on the sports world at an early age.

"After high school, I attended Occidental College but I essentially dropped

out of school and went to work at the Herald," Disney said. "Bud Furillo, who

later became sports editor, wrote a column at that time called 'The Steam Room,'

and I learned more about journalism from him than I ever could have anywhere

else."

Along the way, Disney covered the fledgling major league Angels, the newly

arrived Lakers, USC football, boxing, the Dodgers, the Los Angeles Raiders, and,

of course, horse racing. He also served as a television wrestling commentator

with the late Dick (Whoa Nellie) Lane weekly, on KTLA, Channel 5.

"Those were great days," Disney said. "The crowds were huge then and I did

pretty well handicapping in the paper. In addition to guys like Shoemaker,

Longden, Pincay, and all the great horses, what I remember most about racing

back in the '60s and '70s was how much fun it was -- whether we were at Santa

Anita, Hollywood Park or Del Mar, racing was really a happening and you always

saw people you knew."

Shortly before the Herald Examiner, which was regarded by many as having the

best horse racing coverage in America, met its demise in April, 1989, Disney was

lured by Hollywood Park's Marjorie Everett to become that track's publicity

director.

"I'd known Marje from covering the races and it was a great opportunity for

me at the time, and it facilitated my moving over to Santa Anita in 1992,"

Disney said.

In addition to working in publicity, Disney, along with his twin brother

Doug, Buck Rodgers, Ross Newhan, Paul Salata and others formed a horse ownership

group called "Indizguys Stable."

"That venture provided my most memorable moments in sports," Disney said.

"Bill Shoemaker's brilliant ride aboard Olden Times in the 1962 San Juan

Capistrano Handicap had spurred my interest in racing, and then to win that

historic event 45 years later with On the Acorn, who we claimed for $40,000, was

beyond belief. On the Acorn went on to win back-to-back runnings of the Jim

Murray Memorial Stakes at Hollywood Park, and that was special because the race

was named after a former colleague and dear friend. I owe a debt of gratitude to

our trainer, Mike Mitchell, whose savvy helped me realize those thrills."

From double-dating in 1964 with L.A.'s most eligible bachelor, the Angels' Bo

Belinsky, to cavorting by air and land with unforgettable characters such as the

Lakers' "Hot Rod" Hundley and Chick Hearn, to covering sports legends like

Muhammad Ali, Sandy Koufax and Bo Jackson, Disney's life journey has been

anything but ordinary.

"It's been such a great ride I don't need a bucket list," he said. "Over the

past summer my wife, Emily, and I just decided that after all these years of

working weekends and holidays, I needed to dedicate some quality time to our

family and to our grandchildren.

"I can't think of a better place to close out my professional career than at

Santa Anita. There is no venue more naturally beautiful in sports than Santa

Anita Park. It is an incredible place, and Emily and I are looking forward to

January 27th joining a cherished list of indelible memories."

Safe to say Jack Disney, to borrow a line from his musical hero Frank

Sinatra, did it "his way," through the years, and his readers were glad of it.

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