Jump to content
 







Main menu
   


Navigation  



Main page
Contents
Current events
Random article
About Wikipedia
Contact us
Donate
 




Contribute  



Help
Learn to edit
Community portal
Recent changes
Upload file
 








Search  

































Create account

Log in
 









Create account
 Log in
 




Pages for logged out editors learn more  



Contributions
Talk
 



















Contents

   



(Top)
 


1 References  





2 External links  














Jack Van Berg






العربية
Svenska
 

Edit links
 









Article
Talk
 

















Read
Edit
View history
 








Tools
   


Actions  



Read
Edit
View history
 




General  



What links here
Related changes
Upload file
Special pages
Permanent link
Page information
Cite this page
Get shortened URL
Download QR code
Wikidata item
 




Print/export  



Download as PDF
Printable version
 
















Appearance
   

 






From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 


Jack Van Berg
OccupationTrainer
Born(1936-06-07)June 7, 1936
Columbus, Nebraska, U.S.
DiedDecember 27, 2017(2017-12-27) (aged 81)
Hot Springs, Arkansas
Resting placeCrestview Memorial Park,
Hot Springs, Arkansas
Career wins6,523
Major racing wins
Black Gold Handicap
(1965, 1966, 1967, 1971)
Cornhusker Handicap (1972, 1973, 1985)
Apple Blossom Handicap (1976)
Hawthorne Gold Cup Handicap (1976)
Secretariat Stakes (1976)
Los Angeles Handicap (1979, 1985)
Santa Anita Oaks (1981)
Rebel Stakes (1982)
Oaklawn Handicap (1983)
Super Derby (1984, 1987)
Fantasy Stakes (1985)
Maryland Million Classic (1986)
Hollywood Derby (1986)
Hollywood Turf Cup Stakes (1987)
Strub Stakes (1988)
Woodward Stakes (1988)
Meadowlands Cup (1988)
Philip H. Iselin Handicap (1988)
Santa Anita Handicap (1988)
La Brea Stakes (1993)
Landaluce Stakes (2007)

American Classics / Breeders' Cup wins:
Kentucky Derby (1987)
Preakness Stakes (1984, 1987)
Breeders' Cup Classic (1988)

Racing awards
U.S. Champion Trainer by earnings (1976)
U.S. Champion Trainer by wins
(1968-70, 1972, 1974, 1976, 1983-84, 1986)
Eclipse Award for Outstanding Trainer (1984)
Big Sport of Turfdom Award (1987)
Honours
National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame (1985)
Fair Grounds Racing Hall of Fame (1991)
Significant horses
Gate Dancer, Alysheba

John Charles "Jack" Van Berg (June 7, 1936 in Columbus, Nebraska – December 27, 2017) was an American Hall of Fame horse trainer. Born into a horse racing family, his father was the Hall of Fame trainer, Marion Van Berg.[1] Both father and son have been inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs, New York.

For nineteen straight years between 1959 and 1977, Van Berg was the leading trainer at Ak-Sar-Ben RacetrackinOmaha, Nebraska.[1] In 1976, he set a record for the most wins in a year with 496 and was also the United States Champion Thoroughbred Trainer by earnings.[2]

The trainer of Gate Dancer, he was voted the 1984 Eclipse Award for Outstanding Trainer and in 1985 he was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame.[3] In 1987 he received the Big Sport of Turfdom Award. He is also an inductee of the Nebraska Racing Hall of Fame.

On July 15, 1987, Van Berg became the first trainer to win 5,000 races when he sent Art's Chandelle to victory at Arlington Park. As at the end of September 2008, Jack Van Berg ranks second all-time in career wins among American Thoroughbred trainers.

Van Berg is best known for training Alysheba who won the 1987 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes and the 1988 Breeders' Cup Classic.[4]

He mentored many top trainers, including Hall of Famer Bill Mott, Wayne Catalano, and Frank Brothers, all of whom started off as assistants to Van Berg who led all American trainers in wins nine times.

His life (and that of his father, Marion H. Van Berg) is chronicled in the book JACK, From Grit To Glory - A Lifetime of Mentoring, Dedication and Perseverance written by Nebraska native Chris Kotulak, published in 2013. The book was a semi-finalist in the 2014 Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "Van Berg, John Charles "Jack"". Omaha World-Herald. January 4, 2018. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
  • ^ Boost in Class for BM, web: The Sacramento Bee, 1978, retrieved 13 March 2023
  • ^ Harris, Beth (December 27, 2017). "Jack Van Berg, trainer of 1984 and 1987 Preakness winners, Gate Dancer and Alysheba, dies at 81". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
  • ^ Hammonds, Evan (December 27, 2017). "Trainer Jack Van Berg Dies at 81". The Blood-Horse. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
  • [edit]
    Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jack_Van_Berg&oldid=1211327061"

    Categories: 
    1936 births
    2017 deaths
    American horse trainers
    Eclipse Award winners
    United States Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame inductees
    Sportspeople from Nebraska
    People from Columbus, Nebraska
    Hidden categories: 
    Articles with VIAF identifiers
    Articles with Libris identifiers
     



    This page was last edited on 2 March 2024, at 00:09 (UTC).

    Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 4.0; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.



    Privacy policy

    About Wikipedia

    Disclaimers

    Contact Wikipedia

    Code of Conduct

    Developers

    Statistics

    Cookie statement

    Mobile view



    Wikimedia Foundation
    Powered by MediaWiki