John Shirreffs, who trained Zenyatta to a Hall of Fame career and saddled Giacomo to win the 2005 Kentucky Derby, died in his sleep Feb. 12 at his home in Arcadia, Calif. He was 80.

“The industry lost a great man today,” said Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith, who rode those horses to their most memorable victories, “and I lost a good friend.”

Known for his patience and individualized attention to his horses, Shirreffs left his mark in some of Thoroughbred racing’s greatest events, winning not only the Derby with Giacomo but also the 2009 Breeders’ Cup Classic with Zenyatta. He also captured that year’s Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Classic with Life Is Sweet, a race he had won the previous year with Zenyatta.

He trained both Giacomo and Zenyatta for Jerry and Ann Moss. Giacomo was also co-owned by Stronach Stables late in his career.

Shirreffs with Zenyatta in 2010. (Reed Palmer/Churchill Downs photo)

For all his success – which was plentiful, resulting in his horses winning 596 races and more than $58 million in purses – Shirreffs was often respected most for his horsemanship. He trained a midsized stable of horses at Santa Anita Park, and worked closely with the animals under his care, as did his wife, Dottie Ingordo-Shirreffs.

“I think kindness is the big key to horses,” Shirreffs told BloodHorse earlier this winter. “I think it’s good to talk to them, and I always ask the exercise riders, grooms, and hotwalkers to talk to them. Horses are always trying to learn from their environment. If they can interact more with their environment, then they’re going to have a more successful and happier experience.”

“He put the horses first. You couldn’t make him do anything he didn’t want to do if he didn’t believe in it,” noted Dottie’s son, David Ingordo, one of the sport’s top bloodstock agents. “He was good to all of his people around him. The people who worked for him worked for him forever.”

Born June 1, 1945, in Fort Leavenworth, Kan., Shirreffs was raised around horses, spending his youth between Port Washington on Long Island, N.Y., and his family’s farm in New Hampshire. He served in the United States Marine Corps during the Vietnam War before embarking on a training career that would ultimately make him one of the West Coast’s most recognizable and respected conditioners.

Shirreffs began training in the 1970s, but it was not until the 1990s that his career took off. A major turning point came in 1994, when he became a private trainer for Ed Nahem and Marshall Naify’s 505 Farms, a role he held until Naify’s death in 2000. The relationship helped elevate Shirreffs’ career and fueled support from other clients.

He will forever be linked to Zenyatta, whose late-closing style led to wins in 19 consecutive victories before her lone defeat behind Blame in the 2010 Breeders’ Cup Classic at Churchill Downs. She became the only female to win the Breeders’ Cup Classic in 2009, and was voted Horse of the Year in 2010, despite her loss in the Classic. She also earned three consecutive Eclipse Awards as champion older female from 2008 through 2010.

Breeders’ Cup praised Shirreffs in a statement, saying, “John was widely respected for his integrity, patience, and steadfast commitment to the care and development of his horses.

“Campaigning Zenyatta to a Hall of Fame career, he never failed to make the great racemare accessible to her fans, promoting the sport to thousands across the nation and around the world. He understood the responsibility that comes with greatness and embraced the opportunity to share it, helping broaden racing’s audience and inspire a new generation of fans.”

Smith, her regular rider, said Shirreffs’ long-term approach with horses made him a perfect conditioner for Zenyatta.

“He would never rush a horse. He would give them time, and when he got them good, they would stay good for a long time,” he said. “Some of them would not only stay good, they would get better and better. If you saw Zenyatta at 2 or 3, you would never have guessed what she would become. But John saw it and gave her that time.”

Shirreffs and Smith also teamed together to take the Kentucky Derby with Giacomo, who stunned the crowd at Churchill Downs by taking the race at odds of 50.30-1. He was Shirreff’s first Kentucky Derby starter, but not his last.

He would run five more horses in the run for the roses, most recently with show finisher Baeza last year. Baeza would go on to run third in the Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets and later have success winning the Pennsylvania Derby.

Shirreffs at the 2025 Pennsylvania Derby. (Bill Denver/EQUI-PHOTO)

Reflecting on Giacomo’s Derby victory last spring at Churchill Downs as he prepared Southern California shipper Baeza for the first leg of the Triple Crown, Shirreffs said, “It was just a great thrill and accomplishment, and then to come here, it just brings it back a little bit.”

Indicative of his unique style of training and caring for horses, Shirreffs and his staff often fed Baeza a carrot “smoothie” consisting of pulverized carrots and their juices.

Besides the top-level races Shirreffs won with Zenyatta, Giacomo, Life Is Sweet, and Baeza, he added other Grade 1 triumphs with horses such as Tiago, After Market, Harmonious, Express Train, Beyond Brilliant, Gormley, and others.

His last graded stakes victory came Jan. 31 when he won the San Pasqual Stakes with Westwood for Lee and Susan Searing’s C R K Stable.

“We love John. He loves his job. He works hard at it,” Lee Searing said after the race. “When he gets a horse that he really likes and it develops, there’s no better trainer than John. The horses he’s developed are phenomenal.”

Based for many years at Santa Anita Park, Shirreffs was widely admired for his calm demeanor and reluctance to grab the spotlight. Reporters wishing to receive a comment from Shirreffs after he won a major race often had to hustle to grab him before he followed his horse back to its stable. But he was also known to sit down and have thoughtful conversations at his barn with people he encountered.

Santa Anita Park issued a statement Thursday after Shirreffs’ death, calling him “a fixture at Santa Anita Park throughout his career and his legacy as a caring horseman will remain embedded in the fabric of our history.  Every horse who races at Santa Anita must first pass by the statue of John’s greatest trainee, the wonderful mare Zenyatta. While John’s victories were plentiful and prestigious, what he accomplished with Zenyatta in the 2009 Breeders’ Cup Classic was a masterpiece and deservedly was voted as the top moment in Santa Anita Park’s 90 years. Our deepest condolences are extended to John’s wife, Dottie, and his family, including those horsemen and women who worked closely with John for so many years. May his memory be a blessing.”

On the track, Smith said he was one of many riders who enjoyed riding for Shirreffs.

“I think any rider will tell you that when you rode for John, you just felt good about it. It’s hard to describe, but he was such a good person, and you knew that everything would be done right for the horse.”

Smith also offered condolences to Dottie, other surviving family, and those who worked for the trainer.

“He was a guy that was loyal, and he instilled that; people were loyal back,” Ingordo said. “You can’t teach that—you either have that or you don’t.”

According to Ingordo, Dottie and Shirreffs were married the day that the trainer won the Hollywood Starlet Stakes with the aptly named Hollywood Story: Dec. 21, 2003.

“Then they went to the racetrack, and that was their wedding picture,” he said.

Ingordo said other surviving family members include Shirreffs’ sister, Anita; Cherie DeVaux, who is married to Ingordo; and Ingordo’s daughter, Reagan, who had a close bond with Shirreffs.

He said funeral arrangements have not yet been established.

—Frank Angst and Tracy Gantz contributed to this story