Blacksmith John Santoro, 70, dies

Roosevelt Raceway and Meadowlands long time blacksmith John Santoro, 70, also known as “Santini,” died Oct. 26, 2018, after a long fight with cancer at his home In Kansas City, Mo.

In the late 1970s and until Roosevelt Raceway closed in 1988 he was considered one of the top blacksmiths at Roosevelt Raceway. Mr. Santoro’s reputation followed him to the Meadowlands, where he developed a reputation as one of the leading practitioners of his craft.

He was sought after by national and international trainers, drivers and owners. With his leathered and calloused hands he crafted and molded the horseshoes that enabled champion horses and their drivers, such as Jimmy Cruise Sr., Jimmy Cruise Jr., John Chapman Sr. and Herve Filion (just to name a few), to break harness racing records.

Dr. Bernard Brennan, Roosevelt’s veterinarian, called upon Mr. Santoro to work on difficult cases. Today’s blacksmith, or farrier, has access to technology and standards that were established throughout the 1960s to the 1990s. In the 1970s and 1980s, Mr. Santoro relied on his ingenuity and his ability to see things that others did not. He experimented with developing patches for the horses that had problems such as a quarter crack. As Mr. Santoro said, “A horse standing in his stall does not earn any money.”

Patches had already been around, but there was a lot of room for improvement. Mr. Santoro explained that the patches did not stick, or stay in place — and worst of all, they did not let the horse’s foot heal. Mr. Santoro’s drive to identify a solution led him to experimenting with proxies for the patch and soaking solutions. Mr. Santoro finally found the right mix and developed a soaking solution and patch that saved many horses and races.

Over the years, Mr. Santoro’s work at Roosevelt, Yonkers and Meadowlands was never overlooked. Owners, trainers and drivers brought their horses to him because they knew that an improperly shod horse risked developing an awkward stride, back strain, muscle pulls or worse conditions, besides risking the race. As Jimmy Cruise Jr. says, “Johnny was the best — there was no other like Johnny that could shoe horses like he did.”

Mr. Santoro worked on eight to 12 horses a day for various trainers.

Mr. Santoro always spoke highly of the man who taught him his craft, David Spence, as he was giant in the world of blacksmiths in harness racing. Mr. Santoro forged lifetime friends while crafting his custom-made horseshoes. Jimmy Cruise Sr. and John Chapman Sr. served as mentors for him. Cruise Jr. and Chapman Jr. were like brothers to Mr. Santoro.

Mr. Santoro was a blacksmith for more than 20 years. His determination, self-reliance and self-deprecating humor helped him through many of life’s challenges — including his terminal illness that took his life.

His family is holding a private service in their home state of Missouri. In lieu of flowers the family requests that memorial contributions in his name be made to the Standardbred Retirement Foundation at www.adoptahorse.org.

Personal tributes can be left at www.forevermissed.com/john-f-santoro/#about.

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