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Thursday, December 17, 2015 - December 23, 2015
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COMPLIMENTARY COPY VOLUME 19, NO. 51
Santa Anita Horse Racing 79th Winter Meet Starts Dec. 26
And Away They Go: The Horses at Santa Anita are getting ready for the autumn meeting with some of the best jockeys in the world - riding some of the top Thoroughbreds in racing history!
BY TERRY MILLER It is cold December and that means two big things are happening locally: The Rose Parade and Santa Anita’s Winter Meet. Triple Crown champion Victor Espinoza and all-time Breeders’ Cup leader Mike
Smith will again be center stage when Santa Anita Park opens for its 79th Winter Meeting on Saturday, Dec. 26. The Great Race Place will open with a bang, as it will present four graded stakes, highlighted by a pair of Grade I stakes - the Malibu and La Brea, the day after Christmas.
In addition to Espinoza and Smith, Hall of Famers Gary Stevens, Kent Desormeaux, and Alex Solis will again be full-time members of Santa Anita’s exclusive jockey colony. Additionally, Peruvian sensation Rafael Bejarano, who notched his 24th Southern California riding title at
the recently concluded Bing Crosby Meet at Del Mar, will be seeking his seventh Winter Meet title and will compete on a daily basis alongside other top riders such as Joe Talamo, Martin Garcia, Corey Nakatani, Tyler Baze, Martin Pedroza, Mario Gutierrez, Flavien Prat, Santiago Gonzalez, James Graham,
Four Suspects in Custody After License Plate Reader Alerts Monrovia Officer of Stolen Vehicle
BY SUSAN MOTANDER A suspected carjacker and three associates were arrested in Monrovia Thursday after a brief foot pursuit and neighborhood search, and with the assistance of local residents according to Lt. Heath Harvey, Watch Commander at Monrovia Police
Department. A local elementary school was forced to go into lockdown mode during the incident. A Monrovia police officer was on routine patrol on Thursday morning when his Automated License Plate Reader (LPR) reacted. The SEE PAGE 14
– Photo by Terry Miller
Drayden Van Dyke, and others. Espinoza, 43, followed up his Triple Crown run with the Bob Baffert-trained American Pharoah by guiding the son of Pioneer of the Nile to a sensational win in his career finale - the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic on Oct. 31. Pharoah provided
Espinoza with his third career win in both the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, fueling media exposure that far transcended the confines of American racing. Proclaiming himself “The luckiest Mexican on Earth,” following his Derby win on
BY SUSAN MOTANDER
per’s website: www.monroviaweekly.com. The following are the winners in each category: Best Still Display: 309 North Madison Avenue Best Outdoor Display: 541 Valmont Drive Best Window Display:
SEE PAGE 21
Christmas Lights Spark Holiday Spirit in Monrovia
The Monrovia City Council recognized the very best in Holiday decorating at his meeting on Tuesday. Maps of the locations of all 32 homes entered in the contest are available at City Hall and at the Community Center and on this newspa-
SEE PAGE 14