Legendary composer and longtime purebred owner/breeder Burt Bacharach eagerly predicted a “reverse” at the 1994 Kentucky Derby (G1) with The soul of the problemhis first starter in the American classic.
He had always heard how enjoyable it was to walk from the barn area, around the track, and to the saddle paddock in front of a crowd of 130,000 enthusiastic people.
Richard Mandella, coach of Soul of the Matter, recalls: “We were halfway there and the crowd went crazy, shouting ‘Bacharach, Bacharach!'”. “I made it go back about 100 feet because they were scaring the horse.”
It is Bacharach’s magnetism and his connection with his music fans that inspires and energizes him. He also enjoys the relationships that have been forged within the Thoroughbred racing community since he joined in the mid-1960s.
The entire community is mourning the passing of the composer, songwriter, record producer and pianist who passed away on February 8 at his home in Los Angeles. He was 94 years old.
Among his many lifetime achievements in music, he won two Academy Awards for best song: for “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head” and “Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do)” in 1982. His original score for the 1969 film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, which featured “Raindrops” (singer BJ Thomas’ #1 hit), won the Academy Award for Best Original Score for non-musical movies.
Bacharach and longtime collaborator Hal David also wrote the music for the Broadway play “Promises, Promises,” which was nominated for seven Tony Awards.
Bacharach is also a successful Purebred owner/breeder who has raced and/or bred at least 15 stake winners, including six graded stake winners and one champion .
“Why do I race?” Bacharach told the Los Angeles Times in 1994. “I think it’s because most of us are in a world where we have control. Then we have something that we love but can’t control. You can’t make a horse outrun it.” want. That’s the pain of it. But it’s exhilarating for those in control of their lives.
“Besides, the racial crowd is different. Softer, calmer, more comfortable to be around,” he continued. “We’re like the $2 bet. We deal with disappointment, let go of setbacks, get back to the drawing board, Forms. You know what we’re like. There’s always tomorrow.”
The Derby was one of many fond memories Mandella shared with Bacharach, who campaigned for two of his bred 1st grade winners—The soul of the problem and Deelites afternoon — with the coach.
(LR): Richard Mandella and Burt Bacharach celebrate the victory of Afternoon Deelites in the 1995 San Felipe Stakes at Santa Anita Park
“They don’t come better,” Mandella said. “He’s the best owner you could have. He’ll come to the stables and take care of his horses, but he respects what we’ve done, and we’ve had some successes. great merit.”
Bacharach began buying horses and sending them to Charlie Whittingham for training. His first runner, named Battle Royal, became the winner in 1968 and has also been declared. Bacharach told the Los Angeles Times that he was so saddened by the loss of the horse that he asked his trainer to buy it back. The composer also soon got into farming as Blue Seas Music and ran a farm in Maryland. His first thoroughbred bet winner was a Bagdad pony named Crumbs, who won the 1975 El Cajon Stakes at Del Mar.
All of Bacharach’s 1st grade winners are hybrids.
Heart Light Number One became Bacharach’s first 1st grade winner in the Hollywood Oaks (G1). Rock Talk’s fat baby also won Ruffian Handicap (G1) and Del Mar Oaks (G2T) and was named the 3-year-old baby champion of 1983. Heartlight No. One is named after a song that Bacharach wrote with singer/songwriter Neil Diamond, who presented the trophy to the owner in the winners’ circle.
Carole Bayer Sager, Bacharach’s second wife Carole Bayer Sager told BloodHorse after the race: “We named (actually renamed) the horse after the song in the hope that one of them would make it into place. No.1″.
Heartlight No. One was coached by Pedro Marti and ridden by Laffit Pincay Jr., who was also the composer’s first winner.
“Burt was just a good friend. I will always be grateful to him, because after my first wife died, he took care of me,” Pincay said. “My kids were very young and he invited us to dinner almost every weekend. I will always be very grateful for that. It’s something I will never forget. He was truly a person. good friend and I tell you, I am heartbroken to hear of his passing.”
Afternoon Deelites won Malibu Stakes 1995 at Santa Anita
Soul of the Matter finished in a respectable 5th place in the Kentucky Derby but went on to win the Super Derby (G1) and finished second in the inaugural Dubai World Cup against Cigar. Bacharach returned to the 1995 Derby with Afternoon Deelites, who won the Hollywood Futurity (G1) with a score of 2 and then won the San Felipe Stakes (G2) and finished second in the Santa Anita Derby (G1) before Run for the Roses, in which he placed eighth. Son of Privacy Clause won second place 1st class in Malibu Stakes.
Bacharach’s passion for racing never waned. His most recent stake winner (in partnership with Richard Schatz) Duvet Day captured Astra Stakes on the lawn on January 21 at Santa Anita . Park for coach Michael McCarthy.
“He was passionate about racing and was always interested in hearing about the status of the horses,” McCarthy said. “He’s a true legend and it’s been a real privilege for us to train for a gentleman to carry on his legacy.”
Zenyatta while Griffin raced for the Breeders’ Cup Juniors (G1) and 2005 2-year-olds Stevie Wonderboy .
