Julio Canani, a colorful thoroughbred trainer from Peru who won the 1989 Santa Anita Handicap with 50-1 longshot Martial Law and three Breeders’ Cup races, died at 82 on Friday at Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena.
The story was first reported by Jay Privman of the Daily Racing Form, and later confirmed by Canani’s daughter, Lisa.
Canani, according to Equibase, won 1,137 races after taking out his license in 1968 and his horses compiled $49,274,820 in earnings.
He had been in failing health recently. Privman quoted friends as saying Canani suffered from dementia and had contracted COVID-19 recently.
Canani is survived by his second wife, Svetlana, and their two children, Isabella and Alexander. Canani also had two children, Lisa and Nick, from his first wife, Jane. He also leaves behind two grandchildren and one great grandchild.
