Florida-breds Win Four of Seven Breeders’ Cup Races
BY BROCK SHERIDAN
1985 – Florida-breds Precisionist (Sprint), Cozzene (Mile), Tasso (Juvenile), and Twilight Ridge (Juv. Fillies) win four of seven Breeders’ Cup races at Aqueduct and Florida-bred Gate Dancer finished second in the Breeders’ Cup Classic.
After Eillo won the inaugural Breeders’ Cup Sprint in 1984, Precisionist and fellow Florida-bred Smile improved on the Sunshine State domination by finishing first and second in the 1985 Sprint.
Third in the inaugural Breeders’ Cup Mile in 1984, Cozzene closed out his career with a two-and-a-quarter-length victory in the 1985 edition, giving trainer Jan Nerud his only Breeders’ Cup victory.
Tasso rallied to catch Storm Cat at the wire and win the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile by a nose, giving jockey Laffit Pincay Jr. the first of seven Breeders’ Cup victories and trainer Neil Drysdale his second Breeders’ Cup trophy.
As one of three fillies entered by trainer D. Wayne Lukas, Twilight Ridge defeated stablemate and eventual 2-year-old champion filly Family Style by a length, giving Lukas the first of 20 Breeders’ Cup victories.
Twilight Ridge was the only one of the four Florida-bred Breeders’ Cup winners not to earn Eclipse Award championship in 1985 as Precisionist was named the champion sprinter, Cozzene was champion turf male and Tasso was honored as the champion 2-year-old male.
