Burt Bacharach was a hit at the racetrack, too

By BETH HARRIS
AP Racing Writer

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Burt Bacharach wasn’t only a hit on the pop charts. The songwriter and pianist got into horse racing in 1968 and went on to own and breed several successful horses. A filly named Heartlight No. One after a song he wrote for Neil Diamond was the nation’s champion 3-year-old filly in 1983. Bacharach twice had horses in the Kentucky Derby. Soul of the Matter finished fifth in 1994 and Afternoon Deelites was eighth the following year. Bacharach was still active in racing at the time of his death. A horse he co-owned won at Santa Anita last month.