John C. Mabee (August 21, 1921 – April 24, 2002) was an American Thoroughbred

racehorse Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...

owner and breeder whom '' About.com'' called "a California racing icon." A native of

Seymour, Iowa Seymour is a city in Wayne County, Iowa, United States. The population was 634 at the time of the 2020 census. History The first coal mines in Seymour were opened in 1884. In 1902, the Numa Block Coal Company took over these mines. In 1908 th ...

, as a young man of twenty, John Mabee moved to San Diego, California, where the climate more suited his health, having had pneumonia and bronchitis. There, he established Johnny's Market on 43rd Street. He turned that corner grocery store into the highly successful Big Bear Markets chain in San Diego County, selling it in 1994 to Albertsons and Fleming Companies.

Thoroughbred racing

In 1957, he entered Thoroughbred horse racing, purchasing three yearlings at the Del Mar auction. His involvement led to him and wife, Betty establishing a breeding farm Golden Eagle Farm in Ramona, California that the NTRA says became one of the most important in that state's history. They bred more than 170 stakes winners and seven millionaire horses, the most famous of which was

Best Pal Best Pal (February 12, 1988 – November 24, 1998) was an American Hall of Fame champion racehorse, who retired as the all time record for purses of any California-bred earning (since surpassed) for his owners, the Golden Eagle Farm, US$5.6 milli ...

. The Mabees earned the

Eclipse Award for Outstanding Breeder Eclipse Award for Outstanding Breeder is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor for breeders. Created in 1971, it is part of the Eclipse Awards program and is awarded annually. Its Canadian counterpart is the Sovereign Award for Outstanding ...

in 1991, 1997, and 1998. John Mabee served as a director of the California Thoroughbred Breeders Association and was a member of The Jockey Club from 1985 to his death in 2002. In addition, he was a founding member of the

board of directors A board of directors (commonly referred simply as the board) is an executive committee that jointly supervises the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit organiz ...

of Del Mar Thoroughbred Club. He served as the racing facility's president and then its chairman for close to twenty-five years. Mabee was also one of the original members of the

of Breeders' Cup Limited. For a time, John Mabee owned a twenty percent interest in the

San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team that played in San Diego from 1961 until the end of the 2016 season, before relocating to Los Angeles, where the franchise had played its inaugural 1960 season. The team is now ...

of the National Football League. John Mabee died of a

stroke A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...

in 2002. The

John C. Mabee Handicap The John C. Mabee Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race contested in early August at the Del Mar Racetrack in Del Mar, California. It is run on the turf for fillies and mares, age three or older, at a distance of one and one-eighth mi ...

at Del Mar Racetrack is named in his honor.

References

''About.com'' obituary for John C. Mabee

John and Betty Mabee at the NTRA
* Bowen, Edward L. '' Legacies of the Turf'' (2003)

Eclipse Press Blood-Horse Publications is an American multimedia publishing house focused on horse-related magazines headquartered in Lexington, Kentucky. It began in 1916 through its flagship magazine, ''The Blood-Horse''. From 1961 to 2015, Blood-Horse Publica ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mabee, John C. 1921 births 2002 deaths Businesspeople from Iowa American racehorse owners and breeders Eclipse Award winners San Diego Chargers owners People from Wayne County, Iowa Sportspeople from Iowa People from Ramona, San Diego County, California 20th-century American businesspeople