Thoroughbred Walk of Champions Dedicated Saturday

Beth Costanza, Sandy Snyder, and Gail Marshall are no strangers to the city of Arcadia. The three women spoke briefly at the dedication ceremony Saturday evening. – Photo by Terry Miller

Thoroughbred Walk of Champions Dedicated Saturday

By Susan Motander and Terry Miller

Humble Hall of Fame Jockey Laffit Pincay, Jr. saddled up to the stage Saturday night for his induction into the Thoroughbred Racing Walk of Champions in Arcadia.
Pincay, Jr., one of many sportsmen and women who have been immortalized in bronze on the sidewalks of Arcadia, thanked the committee and said he was thrilled to be part of this ongoing history project.
The walk, with bronze markers like the Hollywood Walk of Fame, celebrates the many horses, owners, trainers and jockeys who have made thoroughbred racing history. Instead of stars, these honorees have horseshoes in the walk, which, of course, is universal for good luck.
Santa Anita’s official horn player, Jay Cohen, heralded the start of the program and three well-known area women took the stage. Beth Costanza, Sandy Snyder, and Gail Marshall are no strangers to the city of Arcadia.
The trio “…wanted to create a story of why they were important in the markers,” said Beth Costanza.

The Historical Society created the committee to develop the project, however; and it was this group of three women who have been working to see the walk become a reality. It came to pass because “the right people were in the right places at the right time,” according to Costanza.
By the right people, she pointed not only to her two co-chairs, Marshall and Sandy Snyder, the Los Angeles County Arboretum Historian, but also to the current members of the City Council and the City Manager, Dominic Lazzaretto.
“The City has been very supportive of our effort,” she said. With the formation of the new Business Improvement District around the area of Huntington Drive and First Avenue, there has been increased focus on that area. The BID along with the Gold Line Station coming to that area created the right time for the project in there.
The celebration Saturday marked the culmination of a huge amount of work by the three women who made up the committee. There was fund-raising, planning, and decisions. Marshall said one of the hardest parts was making decisions about who would be on the walk. There are markers for horses everyone remembers like Secretariat, and jockeys like Willie Shoemaker, but there are also the lesser-known, but equally important people like Joe Hernandez. Hernandez was the “Voice of Santa Anita,” announcing 15,587 races from 1934 through 1972. He was the Vin Scully of racing.

Matt McSweeny of Matt Denny’s restaurant summed up the situation very well: “The Thoroughbred Walk of Champions has been established because of a 20-year effort by Beth Costanza, Gail Marshall and Sandy Snyder. They should be commended for their spirited effort in getting the project from the drawing board to the sidewalks.”
No celebration could be complete without the official cake, which was quickly devoured by the hundreds in attendance Saturday night.

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