Proud Truth (1982–2005) was an American

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a list of horse breeds, horse breed developed for Thoroughbred racing, horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thorough ...

racehorse Horse racing is an equestrian performance activity, 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 bas ...

. He is most notable for his win in the 1985 Breeders' Cup Classic.

Background

Proud Truth was bred by Dorothy Galbreath, wife of prominent horseman John W. Galbreath, at their Darby Dan Farm in

Lexington, Kentucky Lexington is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city coterminous with and the county seat of Fayette County, Kentucky, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census the city's population was 322,570, making it the List of ...

. 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 The Kentucky Derby () is an American Graded stakes race, Grade I stakes Thoroughbred racing, race run at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The race is run by three-year-old Thoroughbreds at a distance of . Colt (horse), Colts and geldin ...

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 Saturd ...

. In his next start, he finished second in the Flamingo Stakes. 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 Memor ...

. 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 annually on Armed Forces Day, the third Saturday in May at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland (except in 2026 when it will move to Laurel Park (race track), Laurel Park dur ...

, instead focusing on the longest of the Triple Crown races, the

Belmont Stakes The Belmont Stakes is an American Graded stakes race, Grade I stakes Thoroughbred racing, race for three-year-old Thoroughbreds run at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is run over the worldwide classic distance of . Colt (horseracing), Colt ...

. As a tune-up, Proud Truth won the Peter Pan Stakes 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 a ...

. In the Breeders' Cup Classic, he was sent off as the fifth betting choice in an eight-horse field. Under jockey Jorge Velásquez, he came from last place to defeat a strong field that included heavy favorite Chief's Crown, Gate Dancer, 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 and a win in his

turf Sod is the upper layer of turf that is harvested for transplanting. Turf consists of a variable thickness of a soil medium that supports a community of turfgrasses. In British and Australian English, sod is more commonly known as ''turf'', ...

debut in the Tidal Handicap at

Belmont Park Belmont Park is a thoroughbred racing, thoroughbred horse racetrack in Elmont, New York, just east of New York City limits best known for hosting the Belmont Stakes, the final leg of the American Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United Stat ...

. He came out of his final race with an injury and was retired to stud 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 then in 1999 to Haras Cerro Punta in Cerro Punta, Chiriquí,

Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...

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. In Panama he met with considerable success, siring six champions, including Spago 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. He is buried there in a pasture.

Pedigree

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