Santa Anita: Long-time employee Dick Wheeler retires

Dick Wheeler, who worked as a racing official for 42 years, retired on Sunday from the Santa Anita racing office.

Wheeler, 67, held a variety of positions in recent years, including assistant racing secretary at Santa Anita and Hollywood Park and racing secretary at Fairplex Park.

Wheeler has had a 50-year involvement in the sport. At 16, he went to work on the backstretch for trainers Charlie Comiskey and later Jerry Fanning. After a stint in the Army in Germany, where he served as an M.P., Wheeler returned to work in Southern California racing in 1972.

In addition to his duties in the racing office, Wheeler worked as clerk of scales, placing judge and patrol judge in the past.

Sunday morning, Wheeler went about his normal duty of taking entries, all the while receiving well-wishes from trainers, jockey agents, and friends. Wheeler said he considered retiring a few years ago but continued to work while caring for his wife Norma, who died in February 2013.

Last month, Wheeler decided to retire at the end of March. He admits he won’t venture far from the sport, planning a summertime vacation to Saratoga.

“It will hit me,” he said. “I was off four months last year, and I couldn’t wait to get back. I’ll still come around.”