The Breeders’ Cup annually attracts some of the biggest celebrities from the worlds of movies, TV, music, sports, and fashion. Elizabeth Taylor (left) and Elizabeth Banks are two actresses who have attended, shown at the inaugural 1984 event and in 2014. (Breeders’ Cup photo/Eclipse Sportswire)

Article courtesy of Patrick Reed of America's Best Racing

Forty Years of Breeders’ Cup Pop Culture: Then vs. Now

The Breeders’ Cup World Championships celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2023 by returning to the area where it was first held amidst much fanfare in 1984: Southern California. The inaugural Breeders’ Cup, held at Hollywood Park in Inglewood, was a one-day event that was showcased on a national NBC telecast and drew a bevy of celebrities to what was at the time one of the most popular racetracks in the U.S. (Watch the broadcast on YouTube here.)

This year’s Breeders’ Cup, a two-day affair set for Nov. 3-4, will be held at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, which is about 40 miles northwest of where Hollywood Park once stood — that track was closed in 2013 and the grounds are now the site of the massive SoFi Stadium.

Santa Anita will host the Breeders’ Cup for a record 11th time in 2023, and the event is sure to attract stars from the worlds of entertainment, sports, media, and fashion to witness the best racing has to offer over a whirlwind 48 hours. The 2023 Breeders’ Cup will be televised on NBC, USA Network, and FanDuel TV and streamed on Peacock.

The first Breeders’ Cup was a success right off the bat, and it has since grown into the second signature event in North American horse racing to accompany the Triple Crown. So much has changed in pop culture over four decades — but on the other hand, there’s always the chance a trend can become popular again to a new generation. Enjoy this look back at the styles, sounds, trends, and celebs popular during the time of the first-ever Breeders’ Cup vs. now.

Sporting Life

'Wemby' (Wikimedia Commons)

1984 was a watershed year in American pro football, baseball, and basketball in that it marked the emergence of young stars in all three sports (Dan Marino in football, Dwight Gooden in baseball, and Michael Jordan in basketball). The top story of the year came from the NBA, where the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers resumed their 1960s rivalry by facing off in the Finals. That Finals also brought Larry Bird (Celtics) and Magic Johnson (Lakers) back together to compete for a title for the first time since the 1979 NCAA basketball championship, with the Celtics winning the 1984 NBA championship in a classic seven-game series.

Forty years later, the Lakers and Celtics are once again among the top teams in the NBA, and the league is about to welcome the regular season debut of phenom Victor Wembanyama, one of the most exciting rookie prospects since “Air” Jordan played his first games with the Chicago Bulls. A new generation of quarterbacks — Patrick Mahomes, Jalen Hurts, Joe Burrow, and several others — is also taking the NFL by storm.

Top of the Charts

Swifties unite. (Wikimedia Commons)

The 1980s were a time of significant changes in popular music, as the record business began allocating more resources toward promoting a handful of superstar pop artists and the technology began its shift toward digital production and distribution with the introduction of the compact disc. The charts in 1984 were ruled by Michael Jackson (whose blockbuster LP “Thriller” was released in late 1982!), Bruce Springsteen (“Born in the USA”) and Prince (who broke through to worldwide stardom with the film “Purple Rain” and especially its soundtrack). The title track to “Purple Rain” stood at no. 3 on the Billboard charts on Nov. 10, the day of the first Breeders’ Cup, behind chart topper “Caribbean Queen” by Billy Ocean and “I Just Called to Say I Love You” by Stevie Wonder.

Flash forward to today, and the success of a handful of pop stars is the only similarity left to those bygone times. Hip hop, which was just going mainstream 40 years ago, is as popular with millennials, Gen Z, and younger kids as rock and roll was to teenage Gen X-ers. Compact discs are technological artifacts at this point, and have been replaced by vinyl among young collectors (see the above comment about trends recycling). Streaming music services are all the rage, everyone has a personal playlist, and in terms of cultural influence, the King of Pop, the Boss, and the Purple One (plus Madonna, George Michael and several others) have a mere two equals in the current era: Beyoncé and Taylor.

Screen Time, Big vs. Small ... vs. Smaller

A modern media necessity. (Wikimedia Commons)

n 1984, the blockbuster mindset that originated in Hollywood during the mid-1970s with “Jaws” and “Star Wars” was still swaying most studio decisions about which movies to produce and promote. On what was then the small screen – television – the “big three” networks (ABC, CBS, NBC) continued to set trends while cable TV continued to grow. “Ghostbusters” finished the year atop the U.S. box office rankings, followed by the first sequel in the Indiana Jones series, “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.” Sequels, you say? …

Now in 2023, the streaming revolution has altered the way we watch movies and TV to the point where writers and actors went on strike last summer to secure some measure of financial stability in an industry undergoing seismic change. Sequels – preferably of comic-book adaptations – saturate multiplexes in the modern age, with the fifth “Ghostbusters” movie set to premiere in 2024 and the fifth “Indiana Jones” installment opening last June after a 15-year hiatus between films.

As for today’s “small screen,” it’s now in your pocket, and your smartphone is the portal to nearly everything consumed in the 21st century media environment, whether it’s watching TikTok or YouTube videos or buying tickets in advance for those special occasions that call for watching movies in the theater again.

What We Were (Are) Wearing

Faded denim back in style. (Wikimedia Commons)

Fashion trends notoriously recycle, and unlike pop music, TV, and movies they’re not at the mercy of developing technology. So it’s not surprising that some apparel choices that enjoyed popularity during the time of the first Breeders’ Cup are still worn today – think of faded denim blue jeans and jackets, checked blazers, even the occasional disco top or pair of parachute pants for those out for an adventurous night on the town.

As for fashion at the Breeders’ Cup, it ran the gamut in 1984 and still does today. If anything, the style-conscious set has expanded far beyond the clubhouse and VIP sections at the Breeders’ Cup to reach fans purchasing general admission tickets who want to look their best for the two-day event.

To that point, actor and fashion designer Carson Kressley, who is a Breeders’ Cup Ambassador, recently offered several fashion tips for this year’s World Championships in this interview with ABR. And ABR’s Rachel Miller has compiled a list of fashion trends and wardrobe suggestions for those planning to attend this year.

Who’s At the Races?

Cary Grant, style personified. (Wikimedia Commons)

Show business and racing in California have been connected ever since Santa Anita Park (1934), Del Mar (1937), and Hollywood Park (1938) opened during the Great Depression. Hollywood Park’s first chairman was Warner Bros. Pictures executive Jack Warner, and the track’s close proximity to Tinseltown meant that some of the biggest movie and TV stars were regular patrons all the way through the early 1990s at least. A-listers were plentiful at Hollywood Park on Nov. 10, 1984, with attendees including Fred Astaire, Elizabeth Taylor, Cary Grant, Gregory Peck, Linda Evans, Jack Klugman, and John Forsythe (Astaire, Klugman, and Forsythe were also horse owners).

The upcoming Breeders’ Cup at Santa Anita will bring many contemporary stars to the track, including Celebrity Ambassadors such as actress and director Elizabeth Banks, actress Bo Derek, Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Walker Buehler, former NFL running back Steven Jackson, former NBA player (and horse owner) Rashard Lewis, and actor John Ortiz.