Mountain Views News          Saturday, August 20, 2011

6

Mountain Views News Saturday, August 20, 2011


“What’s Going On?” 

News and Views from Joan Schmidt Clayton

BREEDERS’ CUP RETURNS


A few days ago, I read 
a headline, “Santa Anita 
redux.” I glanced down the 
page; a smaller headline 
revealed, “Park to host 
race for the sixth time”. 
Happily for horse racing 
fans in Southern California, 
Santa Anita Park is again 
hosting the Breeders’ Cup 
next year, 2012! The news 
was announced in Los 
Angeles at a Press Conference by the Mayor of 
LA! I was put out by this and messaged a member 
of the Arcadia City Council. I asked, “Why was 
this announcement done in LA and NOT at Santa 
Anita Park? The Council Member replied, “We 
on the Council were also wondering why?”

 A quick call to Santa Anita Park provided a 
response, “This is a Breeders’ Cup event. It is 
their choice how and where to announce it.” 

 Well I’m embarrassed to admit I live in the area 
and have NEVER attended a horse race at Santa 
Anita Park. I did watch the movie, Seabiscuit, 
which I loved so I ran to Borders and devoured 
the book in one day! After a visit to the Arcadia 
Historical Museum, my interest kept growing 
and I am determined to attend a race. And quite 
frankly, I have heard of Breeders’ Cup. I knew it 
involved racing, but had no knowledge of how it 
began, how many races were involved and how 
the location changes every year! 

 When and how did the “Breeders Cup World 
Championships” begin? A quick search to the 
Internet said “The Breeders Cup was founded 
in1982 by pet food heir John R Gaines. (1928-
2005), At the time, he was a leading thoroughbred 
owner and breeder who felt something must be 
done to clean up the sport’s image.” I also learned 
that the Breeders’ Cup occurs once a year and is a 
series of thoroughbred horse races, most, but not 
all, Grade 1. The races themselves actually began 
in 1984 and up to 2006, were a single-day event. 
In 2007, it expanded to two days. Every year the 
location changes somewhere in the US; only in 
1996, the races were held at Woodbine Racetrack 
in Canada. 

 This event was created as a year-end championship 
for North American thoroughbred racing and also 
attracts top horses from other parts of the world 
especially Europe. Before the Breeders’ Cup 
was expanded to two days, it was considered to 
be the richest day in sports! Its attendance ranks 
fourth or fifth in North America and usually 
surpasses the attendance of all other stakes races. 
How does a thoroughbred make it to the Breeder’s 
Cup. A maximum of 14 starter are allowed in 
each of the 14 Breeders Cup Championship races 
with the exception of the Dirt Mile, Juvenile 
Fillies Turf and Juvenile Turf which will be 
limited to 12 starters. Breeders Cup Limited 
has adopted a field system to select runners in 
the event fields are oversubscribed. This system 
ranks horses in order or preference based upon 
(1) performance in Breeders’ Cup Races, (2) a 
point system, and (3) a panel of racing experts.
Among the all-time leaders in Breeders’ Cup wins 
are Jockey: Jerry D. Bailey-15,Trainer: D. Wayne 
Lucs-18, Claude R. McGaughey III-9, Leading 
money winner : Allen E. Paulson-$8,730,000.
Several horses have won the same Breeders 
Cup twice. They include Tiznow, Ouija Board, 
Bayakoa, Miesque, Lure, Da Hoss, Goldikova, 
Midnight Lute and High Chaparral. Only 
Zenyatta has won two different Breeders’ 
Cup races, the Ladies Classic and the Classic.
2012 will be the sixth time the Breeders Cup returns 
to Santa Anita. There were two other candidates, 
Churchill Downs in Kentucky, where it’s being 
held this year, and Belmont Race Park in New York. 
It’s a world-class event, the greatest horses in 
the world, the greatest horsemen, trainers and 
owners-everybody coming, seeing how we 
strive for improvement, seeing how we strive 
for improvement in California,” said Keith 
Brackpool, the chairman of the California Horse 
Racing Board. Hooray for Santa Anita Park and 
the City of Arcadia! 

 Hope to see you there!

Bingo players enjoying tasty hamburgers from the In ‘N Out truck.

“FUN IN THE SUN” BINGO NIGHT 

RAISES $5,000 FOR CHARITY!

The Arcadia Association of REALTORS® 
Events 4 Charity Auxiliary held its Annual 
Charity Bingo Night at the Arcadia Community 
Center. This years’ event was fantastic with great 
food, entertainment and tons of excitement. An 
In ‘N Out truck was present at the event to fill 
everyone up with tasty hamburgers, chips and a 
drink. In addition to all of the excitement, the 
event accomplished its goal of raising money 
for local charities. All in all, a total of $5,000 was 
raised to distribute to various charities that our 
Events 4 Charity Auxiliary supports. We wish to 
thank the Events 4 Charity Auxiliary and all of 
their hard work. With the combined efforts of 
Chairman, Micah Adams, Century 21 Adams & 
Barnes; Margaret Gandy, Dilbeck Real Estate; Jill 
Nelson, Dilbeck Real Estate; Event Chairman, 
Nikki Felix, Bank of America and Stephanie 
LaPorte, Old Republic Home Protection, this 
event was a hit! Each put in many hours of hard 
work to ensure its success. 

We also wish to thank Mary Kay, Advanced 
Group Property Inspection Co. for donating beer 
for the event and Micah Adams who donated 
cases of water bottles. Thank you to the all those 
who donated raffle prizes, especially the Rangel-
Schaffer Group of Pacific Advisors who donated 
an iPad2; Intervalley Escrow who donated a 
week’s stay in Big Bear and Dan Bryant who 
donated a weekend stay at a golf resort in Palm 
Springs. Thank you also to those who donated 
bingo prizes and their time to help make this 
event a huge success. It is truly the volunteers 
who make it possible for events like this to occur. 
Sincere thanks from the Arcadia Association of 
REALTORS!

From Arcadia’s Best: 

ARCADIANS AMONG WINNERS OF THE INTERNATIONAL 
CHORUS CHAMPIONSHIP


VICIOUS DOG ATTACK INSPIRES 

OWNER TO WARN OTHERS: Be Alert, Be Careful!

It started out at a pleasant summer day, the perfect time 
to take her dog for a walk. They stopped at their favorite 
spot, the dog park on Second Avenue between Foothill 
and Colorado. The location seems remote enough, it is in 
the middle of Eisenhower Park, across a wooden bridge. 
The tranquility of the morning was soon disrupted. An 
Arcadia resident and her young dog had an experience 
they will never forget. She writes to warn others:

I’ve been taking my little 10 pound, one year 
old puppy {mix of Bichon and Lasa Apso} to the 
park since last November. They have a “small dog” 
section for the under thirty pound group, and a 
large dog section for the big ones. It is clearly 
marked, and very obvious which side is which.

About a month or so ago, we noticed that a man 
and his large Pit Bull/Mastiff/Rottweiler mix dog 
were basically living in the Small Dog Park. I called 
the Arcadia Police and reported his presence. I 
was told that they would investigate and if they 
found him, they would be sure and tell him to stay 
out.When I went to the park last Wednesday I did 
not see the fellow or his dog. About five minutes 
after I arrived, I saw him approaching with his dog 
on a chain. He was talking with a fellow and his 
small son. His back was to the small dog park, but 
I was keeping my eye on him in case he started to 
come in with his dog.

All of a sudden, without even looking into the 
park, he unleashed his dog and opened the gate. It 
happened so fast I could not grab my dog. Within 
seconds his huge vicious dog had my little puppy 
in his mouth, off the ground, and chomping on 
the poor thing like a rag doll. I was screaming, 
the man and his kid were standing there frozen, 
and the owner of the attacking dog was yelling at 
me. He said “I didn’t see you”....but the point is, he 
didn’t look, and more importantly he should not 
let his dog in the small dog park at all. WE finally 
got my puppy out of mouth of his animal, who was 
frothing at the mouth. I ran to take my dog to the 
vet’s and despite the other dog owner yelling at 
me to come back so he could see the dog. My dog 
has suffered extensive wounds, and just yesterday 
had to have anesthesia so that the doctor could 
remove dead skin from his side. Thankfully, no 
major organs were affected. IT was truly a miracle 
that the little guy survived.

The afternoon of the incident, when my 
husband got home from work, we all went to the 
Arcadia Police station, armed with photos, and the 
exorbitant bill for vet services. After speaking with 
an officer for the good part of an hour, we were 
told that there was nothing they could do unless 
I personally caught the guy doing something and 
called the police at that moment. If the police were 
available, someone might come over. 

Of course I do not feel comfortable putting 
myself in that position. I called City Hall, and 
ended up speaking with someone from the 
Recreation and Community Service dept, who 
assured me it is indeed the Police’s Jurisdiction 
to keep the park safe, and free from vicious 
dogs and their owners. In the meantime, I am 
frustrated that I cannot effectively warn the 
other pet parents who may fall prey to the same 
circumstance. In fact, I have no idea if that has 
happened in the past, because there doesn’t seem 
to be anyone ‘in charge’ of the dog park, and its 
safety.My dog survived....but he will be under 
medical care for months to come. I want to 
prevent this from ever happening again.I know 
there are certain risks we take by entering a dog 
park. But there is definitely the assumption that 
at the very least it will be free of large, viciously 
trained animals, and human residents. 

 
It was the eighth consecutive championship 
for the 121-member Barbershop singing group 
that includes Ron Larson, Dan Place, and charter 
member Rich Stanford. Place and Larson are two 
of only 12 members of the group who have been 
part of every one of those championship teams, 
each collecting all eight gold medals.

 Larson, chairman of the Arcadia Public Library 
Board of Trustees in 2010-11, recently chronicled 
the group’s latest success on July 8 for Westunes, 
the publication for Barbershop Society members 
from the western United States.

 He writes that Masters of Harmony was 
formed as a small group of men in 1985 singing 
close harmony in the a cappella style and featuring 
a dynamic repertoire that encompasses music 
from the classics to jazz, patriotic to sacred, and 
rounded out with standards and Broadway pops. 
The group quickly won four International Chorus 
Championships during the 1990s.

 Earlier this summer Masters of Harmony 
performed a Championships tune-up performance 
at the San Gabriel Mission Playhouse.

Then it was on to Kansas City where this year’s 
championship competition was stronger than 
ever. After presenting fresh performances of 
songs such as “Alabama Jubilee” and “Stranger 
In Paradise” with new choreography and other 
changes, MoH won by five points (out of 3000) 
over Minnesota’s Great Northern Union. 

– By Scott Hettrick

Arcadia Police Blotter

For the period of Sunday, August 7, through 
Saturday, August 13, the Police Department 
responded to 893 calls for service of which 128 
required formal investigations. The following is 
a summary report of the major incidents handled 
by the Department during this period.

Sunday, August 7:

Between August 6th at 9:30 p.m. and August 7th 
at 6:30 a.m., suspect(s) entered two unlocked 
vehicles in the 600 block of San Luis Rey Road 
and stole a GPS unit from one. Nothing appeared 
to be missing from the second vehicle. Both 
vehicles were parked at the same location.

At about 5:40 p.m., loss prevention personnel 
from JC Penney at the Westfield Santa Anita 
Mall, 400 South Baldwin Avenue, detained a 
male for theft. The suspect took merchandise, 
concealed it, and walked out of the store without 
paying. The 19-year-old Asian male was arrested 
for theft.

Monday, August 8:

3. Between August 6th at 12:00 p.m. and August 
7th at 3:00 p.m., a residential burglary occurred 
in the 300 block of Altern Street. Suspect(s) 
entered the residence by cutting the fumigation 
tent. Once inside, the suspect(s) stole cash and 
jewelry.

4. Between 8:00 a.m. and 5:01 p.m., an auto 
burglary occurred on Morlan Place, north of 
Huntington Drive. Suspect(s) smashed the 
rear driver’s side window and stole a purse and 
clothing.

Tuesday, August 9:

5. At about 2:46 p.m., units responded to the area 
of Huntington Drive and Holly Avenue regarding 
a traffic collision involving an overturned vehicle. 
An investigation revealed that the driver of the 
vehicle was a theft suspect who had fled from 
the Westfield Santa Anita Mall Security. The 
22-year-old Hispanic male was located and 
placed under arrest for commercial burglary and 
other misdemeanor charges. No one was injured 
in the collision.

6. At 10:44 p.m., a traffic stop at Fifth Avenue 
and Colorado Boulevard for expired registration, 
led to the arrest of a 41-year-old, Hispanic male 
driver for receiving stolen property and an 
outstanding warrant. The suspect was found 
to be in possession of checks and identification 
from victims in several cities.

Wednesday, August 10:

7. At about 6:43 p.m., officers responded to 
Nordstrom’s at the Westfield Santa Anita Mall, 
400 South Baldwin Avenue, regarding a theft. 
The victim said as she was entering the store, the 
suspect, described as a Black male, 13 to18-years-
old, wearing a dark t-shit, basketball shorts, a 
black and white backpack, and riding a scooter, 
asked to see her phone to “call his mom for a 
ride”. The victim obliged and the suspect fled 
with the phone. 

8. At about 7:00 p.m., loss prevention 
personnel from JC Penney at the Westfield Santa 
Anita Mall, 400 South Baldwin Avenue, detained 
a juvenile female for theft. The suspect took 
merchandise, concealed it, and walked out of the 
store without paying. The 16-year-old Hispanic 
female was arrested for theft.

Thursday, August 11:

9. At about 10:43 a.m., a traffic stop on a bicyclist 
at Camino Real Avenue and First Avenue for 
failure to stop at a stop sign, led to the arrest of 
a 51-year-old, Hispanic male for possession of a 
controlled substance.

10. Between August 10th at 9:00 p.m. and August 
11th at 6:00 p.m., a burglary occurred in the 2100 
block of Highland Oaks Drive. Suspect(s) pried 
open the door of a utility box and stole four deep 
cycle batteries.

Friday, August 12:

11. Between August 11th at 6:00 p.m. and 
August 12th at 12:28 a.m., an auto burglary 
occurred in the 1100 block of West Duarte 
Road. Suspect(s) smashed the front driver’s side 
window and stole an IPod.

12. At about 4:42 p.m., units responded to 
the 500 block of Leda Lane regarding a traffic 
collision. Officers found a vehicle had collided 
into a tree. The driver, a 30-year-old White male, 
was intoxicated and was placed under arrest 
for driving under the influence. The suspect 
sustained minor injuries and was treated at a 
local hospital prior to booking. 

Saturday, August 13:

13. Shortly before 3:00 p.m., loss prevention 
personnel from Hollister at the Westfield Santa 
Anita Mall, 400 South Baldwin Avenue, detained 
two juvenile females for theft. The suspects 
took merchandise, concealed it, and walked out 
of the store without paying. Both the 17-year-
old Hispanic female and the 16-year-old Asian 
female were arrested for commercial burglary 
after admitting they had gone to the location with 
the intent to steal.

14. At about 2:24 p.m., officers contacted the 
occupants of a suspicious parked vehicle at the 
County Park, 405 South Santa Anita Avenue. A 
51-year-old White male was found to be under 
the influence and in possession of a controlled 
substance. Officers also found possible stolen 
property in the vehicle. The male suspect was 
arrested for felony and misdemeanor charges.

Friends Book Store Anniversary/Half Price Sale

September 19 through September 24, 2011

Location: Arcadia Public Library, 626 446 
8980

It’s time to re-stock your shelves with fantastic 
bargains from the anniversary half-price sale 
in the Friends Book Store. From 10 am to 5 
pm, Monday, September 19, through Saturday, 
September 24, there will be an opportunity to 
select novels, mysteries, history, biographies, 
cookbooks and a host of other items, all at low, 
low prices. New arrivals will be stocked every 
day; plan to visit often. 

All proceeds go to support our library. Come 
join this spectacular, bargain-bonanza sale!


Bonita Skate Park in Arcadia 
Hours of Operation a For 
School Year 2011-2012

Bonita Skate Park located on Second Avenue and 
Huntington in Arcadia is 10,700 square feet of fun for 
skateboarders and in-line skaters who want an advanced 
park in which to practice and perfect their skills. The 
hours of operation will change starting Tuesday, 
August 30, 2011to: Monday through Friday, 3pm-
10pm; and Saturday and Sunday, 8am-10pm. For 
school holidays and winter and spring breaks, the hours 
will be 8am-10pm.

 For the safety of everyone at the park, the following 
rules are in place for Bonita Skate Park and they will be 
enforced:

 All users are required to wear a helmet, kneepads and 
elbow pads. Those not wearing protective equipment can 
be cited for an infraction and required to pay a fine. 

·The park is for skateboarding and skating only. Bicycles 
and scooters are not allowed. 

· Additional obstacles, ramps and jumps may not be used 
at the park. 

· No food or drink is allowed on the skating surface. No 
glass is allowed in or around the skating area. 

· The City of Arcadia does not assume any responsibility 
for injuries that occur at the park. Skateboarding and 
rollerblading are hazardous recreational activities. 
Participation may result in serious injury. 

Protect your Skate Park from graffiti and abuse. Report 
any vandalism, damage or hazardous conditions to 
the Recreation and Community Services Department 
at 626.574.5113.