In 1988, the Breeders’ Cup came to Kentucky for the first time, and on a rain swept day at Churchill Downs, racing fans witnessed some of the greatest performers and performances in the sport’s history. Among them was “Is It True.” All eyes were on Ogden Phipps’ flashy chestnut colt Easy Goer going into the 1988 Juvenile, sent off as the prohibitive favorite in the field of 10, but Eugene Klein’s Is It True was prominent from the start and coasted to the wire 1 ¼ lengths clear of Easy Goer at the finish as the favorite was struggling and appeared uncomfortable with the Churchill track surface that was labeled ‘muddy’ that day. Is It True gave trainer D. Wayne Lukas his third Breeders’ Cup victory of the afternoon and ninth overall following Gulch in the Sprint and Open Mind in the Juvenile Fillies.
This lot features the impressive trophy that the owners of Is It True walked away with that day. Standing 8.5” wide by 13” tall, the trophy includes a large green marble base that stretches four inches high and eight inches wide. A sculptured, nine-inch tall prancing horse made of solid bronze is featured on top and is called an ecorche, which means it illustrates the muscles of the powerful horse in great detail. Both sides of the marble base
feature engraved gold plaques reflecting important race and horse information. The first plaque reads: “EUGENE V. KLEIN’S IS IT TRUE, Raja Baba-Roman Rockette by Proudest Roman – WINNER – FIFTH RUNNING, BREEDERS’ CUP JUVENILE, CHURCHILL DOWNS, November 5, 1988.” The second plaque, which appears on the opposite side, reads: “IS IT TRUE Bay Colt – 1986 Bred By: Warner L. Jones, Jr., Trainer: D. Wayne Lukas, Jockey: Laffit Pincay, Jr.” The trophy weighs a sturdy 19 pounds.
Includes Letter of Provenance from the San Diego Hall of Champions.