Proud Truth (1982–2005) was an American

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are ...

racehorse. He is most notable for his win in the 1985

Breeders' Cup Classic The Breeders' Cup Classic is a Grade I Weight for Age thoroughbred horse race for 3-year-olds and older run at a distance of on dirt. It is held annually at a different racetrack as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships in late October ...

Background

Proud Truth was bred by Dorothy Galbreath, wife of prominent horseman

John W. Galbreath John Wilmer Galbreath (August 10, 1897 – July 20, 1988) was an American building contractor and sportsman. Born in Derby, Ohio, he grew up in Mount Sterling, Ohio, where he graduated from high school. He then graduated from Ohio University ...

, at their

Darby Dan Farm Darby Dan Farm is a produce, livestock, and thoroughbred horse breeding and training farm founded in 1935 near the Darby Creek in Galloway, Ohio by businessman John W. Galbreath. Named for the creek and for Galbreath's son, Daniel M. Galbreath (1 ...

in Lexington, Kentucky. He was trained by John M. Veitch.

Racing career

Proud Truth made two winning starts at age two. At three, he was one of the early favorites for the Kentucky Derby after he won the Fountain of Youth Stakes and

Florida Derby The Florida Derby is an American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old horses held annually at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Florida. Since 2005, it has been run five weeks before the Kentucky Derby, which is held on the first Sat ...

. In his next start, he finished second in the

Flamingo Stakes The Flamingo Stakes was an American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old horses run over a distance of a mile and one-eighth. Run as the Florida Derby until 1937, the inaugural event took place at Tampa Downs on February 27, 1926. There was ...

. In the Flamingo, Chief's Crown crossed the wire first but was disqualified for interference, moving Proud Truth up to the winning position. The owners of Chief's Crown then appealed to the Florida Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering, which overturned the disqualification. Therefore, Chief's Crown was reinstated as the Flamingo winner, and Proud Truth officially finished second in that race

In Proud Truth's final start prior to the Kentucky Derby, he finished second in the

Wood Memorial Stakes The Wood Memorial Stakes is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held annually in April at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, Queens, New York. It is run over a distance of 1 1/8 miles (9 furlongs) on dirt. The Wood Memorial ...

. In the Derby, he had a rough trip in the thirteen-horse field and finished fifth to Spend A Buck. He did not compete in the

Preakness Stakes The Preakness Stakes is an American thoroughbred horse race held on Armed Forces Day which is also the third Saturday in May each year at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a Grade I race run over a distance of 9.5 furlongs () o ...

, instead focusing on the longest of the Triple Crown races, the Belmont Stakes. As a tune-up, Proud Truth won the

Peter Pan Stakes The Peter Pan Stakes is a Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds over a distance of miles (nine furlongs) run annually during the second week of May at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. History The race is run in honor o ...

but suffered a fracture in his left front leg and was unable to race in the Belmont

Recovered from his injury, Proud Truth returned to racing in the fall of 1985 and won an allowance race, followed by a victory in the Grade III

Discovery Handicap The Discovery Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually during the latter part of November at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, New York. A Listed event open to three-year-old horses, it is contested on dirt over a distance of one ...

. In the

, he was sent off as the fifth

betting Gambling (also known as betting or gaming) is the wagering of something of value ("the stakes") on a random event with the intent of winning something else of value, where instances of strategy are discounted. Gambling thus requires three elem ...

choice in an eight-horse field. Under jockey

Jorge Velásquez Jorge Velásquez (born December 28, 1946 in Chepo, Panama) is a thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame jockey. Jorge Velasquez's career in thoroughbred racing began in his native Panama but as a teenager moved to the United States. In 1967 he won ...

, he came from last place to defeat a strong field that included heavy favorite

Chief's Crown Chief's Crown (April 7, 1982 – April 29, 1997) was an American-bred Thoroughbred race horse who won the 1984 Breeders' Cup Juvenile and was voted the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Two-Year-Old Male Horse. He later became a successful sire. Ba ...

Gate Dancer Gate Dancer (1981–1998) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse best known as a winner of an American Classic Race, the Preakness Stakes, and for his part in a three-horse finish in the inaugural running of the Breeders' Cup Classic. Bred in F ...

, which finished second by a head, Turkoman, and Vanlandingham. Proud Truth returned to racing at age four in 1986. Of his eight starts, his best performances were a second by a nose in the Grade I

Gulfstream Park Handicap The Gulfstream Park Mile Stakes (formerly known as the Gulfstream Park Handicap) is a race for thoroughbred horses run at Gulfstream Park each year. The race is open to horses age four and up, willing to race one mile on the dirt. A Grade II even ...

and a win in his

turf Sod, also known as turf, is the upper layer of soil with the grass growing on it that is often harvested into rolls. In Australian and British English, sod is more commonly known as ''turf'', and the word "sod" is limited mainly to agricult ...

debut in the Tidal Handicap at Belmont Park. He came out of his final race with an injury and was retired to

stud Stud may refer to the following terms: Animals * Stud (animal), an animal retained for breeding ** Stud farm, a property where livestock are bred Arts and entertainment * Stud (band), a British progressive rock group * The Stud (bar), a gay ba ...

duty at Darby Dan Farm for the 1987 season.

Stud record

In 1991, Proud Truth was sent to stand at Corbett Farm near

Monkton, Maryland Monkton is an unincorporated community in northern Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. It has a population of approximately 4,856 people. The community is in area, with approximately . As an unincorporated area, Monkton has no legally ...

then in 1999 to Haras Cerro Punta in Cerro Punta, Chiriquí,

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Co ...

for new owner Fernando Eleta Almarán. He sired a number of North American stakes winners including Truth of It All who was voted the 1992 Canadian

Sovereign Award for Champion 2-Year-Old Male Horse The Canadian Champion Two-Year-Old Colt is a Canada, Canadian Thoroughbred horse racing honour. Created in 1975 by the Jockey Club of Canada, it is part of the Sovereign Awards program and is awarded annually to the top 2-Year-Old male Thoroughbred ...

. In Panama he met with considerable success, siring six champions, including

Spago Spago is chef Wolfgang Puck's flagship restaurant worldwide, known for serving California cuisine. Spago is Puck's first restaurant venture. Name and history The word "spago" is Italian for "string" or "twine". The plural would be "spaghi," whi ...

who won the 2004 Panamanian Triple Crown and was voted Horse of the Year honors. Proud Truth died at Haras Cerro Punta on August 15, 2005 following a bout of severe

colic Colic or cholic () is a form of pain that starts and stops abruptly. It occurs due to muscular contractions of a hollow tube (small and large intestine, gall bladder, ureter, etc.) in an attempt to relieve an obstruction by forcing content out. ...

. He is buried there in a pasture.

References

Proud Truth's pedigree and partial racing stats

Proud Truth's offspring at the Triple Crown database by Kathleen Irwin and Joy

Proud Truth at Haras Cerro Punta

Proud Truth's obituary at ''Thoroughbred Times''
{{Breeders' Cup Classic Winners 1982 racehorse births 2005 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in Kentucky Racehorses trained in the United States Breeders' Cup Classic winners Thoroughbred family 8-g