The 1985 Breeders’ Cup Classic
Breeders' Cup > Classic > 1985
1985 Breeders’ Cup Classic
Winner: Proud Truth
The 1985 Breeders’ Cup World Championships took place at Aqueduct Racetrack in South Ozone Park, New York on November 2nd. It was the second edition of the premier North American horse racing event and featured a number of exciting races and finishes. One of the highlights of the card was the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1).
While the race itself was one to remember, trainer Jack Van Berg would probably like to forget it. If you recall, Van Berg’s charge Gate Dancer had a chance to win the first ever Breeders’ Cup Classic last year, but he shot down the stretch like a canon, only to crash into Slew o’ Gold, costing them both a chance at winning the race. Slew o’ Gold and Gate Dancer finished second and third, respectively, to Wild Again. However, Gate Dancer would be disqualified.
It was déjà vu for Van Berg and Gate Dancer in this year’s Classic – not in the vein that a crash ended their hopes at winning, rather that they had a chance late in the race to come away victorious, but victory was snatched away from them.
Gate Dancer led the eight-horse field through the stretch, but lost stem near the end, allowing Proud Truth to pass him and win by a head. Gate Dancer improved on his third-place finish from a year ago, finishing as the runner-up to Proud Truth. Turkoman finished third.
“I was trying to push my horse to the finish line,” said a stunned Van Berg. “Can you believe it? I beat Chief's Crown and Track Barron and Vanlandingham by how many lengths, and then a horse jumps out of the woodwork and still beats me.”
The 1985 Breeders’ Cup World Championships took place at Aqueduct Racetrack in South Ozone Park, New York on November 2nd. It was the second edition of the premier North American horse racing event and featured a number of exciting races and finishes. One of the highlights of the card was the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1).
While the race itself was one to remember, trainer Jack Van Berg would probably like to forget it. If you recall, Van Berg’s charge Gate Dancer had a chance to win the first ever Breeders’ Cup Classic last year, but he shot down the stretch like a canon, only to crash into Slew o’ Gold, costing them both a chance at winning the race. Slew o’ Gold and Gate Dancer finished second and third, respectively, to Wild Again. However, Gate Dancer would be disqualified.
It was déjà vu for Van Berg and Gate Dancer in this year’s Classic – not in the vein that a crash ended their hopes at winning, rather that they had a chance late in the race to come away victorious, but victory was snatched away from them.
Gate Dancer led the eight-horse field through the stretch, but lost stem near the end, allowing Proud Truth to pass him and win by a head. Gate Dancer improved on his third-place finish from a year ago, finishing as the runner-up to Proud Truth. Turkoman finished third.
“I was trying to push my horse to the finish line,” said a stunned Van Berg. “Can you believe it? I beat Chief's Crown and Track Barron and Vanlandingham by how many lengths, and then a horse jumps out of the woodwork and still beats me.”
Proud Truth, the Florida Derby winner was out of commission following the Peter Pan Stakes due to a broken bone in his front left leg. He only ran twice in between the May 26 Peter Pan and the November 2 Classic – a Belmont Park allowance win and a victory in the Discovery Handicap (G3). The pre-Classic prep races paid off. Proud Truth paid $16.80 for the win – the highest first-place payout of the Breeders’ Cup card.