John Alan Creager

John Alan Creager, beloved father, grandfather, brother, horseman, mentor, and one of Quarter Horse racing's most accomplished jockeys, crossed the finish line for the last time on September 29, 2026, at the age of 75.

John was born on August 9, 1951, to Bud and Lola Creager in Ogden, Utah. He was raised on a horse ranch in Utah's beautiful Morgan Valley, alongside his siblings Paula, Bill, Greg, and Pam.

John developed an instinctive connection with horses from an early age. A connection that would last a lifetime.

John's childhood days were filled with: riding adventures with his siblings, hunting with his friends, fishing the creek, and working their family ranch with his beloved Grandpa Creager and father, Bud L Creager.

John was a gifted all-around athlete. At Morgan High School, he excelled in varsity basketball and baseball and later played college baseball at Weber State University.

But horses were his ultimate calling.

John's father, Bud, and mother, Lola, were his strongest advocates for his pursuit of racing. With their support, John began riding for his Uncle Ken and won his first race at just sixteen years old. What began as a young man's passion would grow into an extraordinary career spanning more than three decades.

Horses also brought John his family.

John met Paula while riding her father, Paul Hoburg's, horses in Idaho. The beginning of his career took him to tracks all over the west and northwest. After a highly successful meet at Centennial Racetrack in Denver, he headed to the bright lights of Los Alamitos in 1973. United by a shared love of horse racing, John and Paula married in 1974.

They settled in Cypress, California, where they raised their four children: Joanie, Dusty, John, and Brook. John and Paula remained forever connected by the family they created and their shared love for their children and grandchildren.

California would also become the setting for the greatest years of John's racing career.

He made an immediate impression at Los Alamitos Race Course, winning with his very first mount there. His brother Greg soon followed him to California. The two worked closely alongside legendary trainer Russell Harris. John also enjoyed tremendous success riding for his brother-in-law, Bill Hoburg. Racing was a family world, and together they shared countless days on the backstretch and many memorable trips to the Winner's Circle.

Over the next three decades, John established himself as one of Quarter Horse racing's premier jockeys.

His riding style was unmistakably his own. John was patient, quiet, balanced, and remarkably composed in the saddle. He believed in allowing a horse to settle, travel straight, and find its stride. His calm approach earned him the nickname "Johnny Sit Still."

That same steady temperament followed him off the racetrack. He listened, he observed, and he carried himself with a quiet confidence. He was a true gentleman and a man of his word.

Around Los Alamitos, his calm presence and wisdom earned him great respect among fellow riders. His career achievements reflected both his extraordinary ability and his longevity in one of racing's most demanding professions.

John recorded 2,018 victories at Los Alamitos, becoming one of only four riders in track history to surpass 2,000 wins and ranking fourth all-time in Quarter Horse victories there. Across his 35 years in the saddle, he accumulated more than 2,500 career wins nationwide.

In 1994, John was named AQHA Champion Jockey, with 15 stakes victories and earning more than $2 million aboard his mounts that year.

Throughout his career, John rode an extraordinary collection of accomplished horses, including Down With Debt, Ah Sigh, Griswold, Prissy Fein, Chicks Beduino, Jody's Glory, Traveling Show, Fishers Favorite, Hold All Tickets, Real Easy Chick, and many others. Among the defining victories of his career was his win aboard Sgt. Pepper Feature in the 1982 Champion of Champions.

Those closest to John knew that his legacy could never be measured by wins, statistics, or trophies.

John belonged to a generation shaped by a particular kind of Western ethic: your word mattered, a handshake meant something, hard work was expected, and respect was earned through how you lived, rather than what you said.

John was a man of routine. His grandchildren knew that a visit with Pops meant powdered donuts were waiting close by. One of those small, familiar things that became part of the warmth of being with him and a memory they'll always carry.

John made sure his family stayed connected to their roots, loading everyone up for unforgettable off-season road trips back to Utah to spend time with grandparents, cousins, aunts, uncles, and extended family. Those trips became part of their childhood that instilled the immeasurable value of family and love of Morgan, Utah.

John retired from racing in 2002, but he never retired from horses. He spent the next chapter of his career at Rolling A Ranch training horses for the race track and mentoring young riders.

At Rolling A Ranch, John met June Rust. John and June shared many memorable years together. Their love of horses and ranching at the center of their life together. Breeding, raising, and racing horses gave them a connection that endured through the years. Ranch life brought them joy not only in the work they shared, but also in the everyday moments they spent together.

For all the places life and racing had taken him, part of John always remained in Utah.

In his later years, John carried a deep desire to return to where his story began. John moved back to Utah in the summer of 2026 and settled in the peaceful country near Woodruff, close to his family.

And fittingly, John spent his final day outdoors, on horseback, rounding up cattle with Pete, beneath the wide Utah sky. A lifelong horseman's perfect day.

John will be remembered as a gifted horseman, a mentor, a loving father, a brother, a best friend, and his grandchildren's "Pops."

The values he embodied, his steadiness and integrity, will live on in everyone's lives he touched. Most of all, it lives on in his children and grandchildren, who will carry pieces of his legacy forward.

John was preceded in death by his parents, Bud and Lola Creager, and his brother, Bill Creager.

John is survived by his four children, Joanie Creager-Akkad; Dusty Fitzgerald and her husband, Mark Fitzgerald; John W. Creager and his wife, Tran Creager; and Brook Creager; as well as his longtime partner, June Rust.

He also leaves behind eight beloved grandchildren: Violet Creager-Decker, Jake Creager-Decker, Anabella Fitzgerald, Jack Fitzgerald, London Creager-Akkad, Victoria Fitzgerald, Adrien Creager, and Vivienne Creager.

John is also survived by his siblings Paula (Phil) Godfrey; Greg Creager; and Pam (Pete) Cornia, along with extended family, friends

For a man who rarely needed many words, John leaves behind an extraordinary story.

He lived the life of a horseman from beginning to end, and he lived it on his own terms - with quiet confidence, loyalty, courage, and integrity.

His family will miss him beyond measure, and will forever be proud of the life he lived, the man he was, and the legacy he leaves behind.