At age 94, visionary pop composer Burt Bacharach passed away.

LOS ANGELES 

Burt Bacharach did not have all of his successes in the top ten. 
The Oscar-winning pianist and lyricist also had success in the horse racing world.
In 1968, the same year that he co-wrote the songs "Do You Know the Way to San Jose" by Dionne Warwick and "This Guy's in Love with You" by Herb Alpert, he first became interested in horse racing.

Charlie Whittingham was tasked with choosing a horse by Bacharach. Battle Royal, the horse chosen by the Hall of Fame trainer, won his maiden race, launching Bacharach into a long career as an owner and breeder.

Bacharach called his breeding business Blue Seas Music before passing away on Wednesday in Los Angeles at the age of 94 from natural causes.The two horses Soul of the Matter and Afternoon Deelites, whose names were inspired by his musical success, brought him his greatest successes in the middle of the 1990s.

Seven out of 16 races were won by Soul of the Matter, who amassed a $2.3 million career payday.

On Kentucky Derby day in 1994 at Churchill Downs, Bacharach reportedly asked to join the walk from the barn to the saddling paddock. Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella recalled the incident.Mandella stated on Thursday, "He did. I instructed him to go back a hundred yards so they wouldn't spook the horse. We started heading around the turn and the spectators were all chanting 'Bacharach,' so I told him to go back.

In the 1994 Breeders' Cup Classic and the Derby, Soul of the Matter came in fourth and fifth, respectively.

In the final furlong of the 1996 Dubai World Cup, Soul of the Matter engaged in combat with the illustrious Cigar. Cigar triumphed by half a length. Soul of the Matter has to be retired to the breeding shed due to an injury 
He was simply a fantastic owner. He was a horse lover, Mandella added. "I'm sure he'd say it was a great life (today) if he had something to say,"

Bacharach went back to the Derby in 1995 and saw Afternoon Deelites place seventh.

Hall of Fame jockey Kent Desormeaux, who rode Afternoon Deelites, remarked that Burt was a "kind soul" and still is the owner of the fastest horse he ever rode. "He was as light on his feet as a kitten."

At the racetrack, Bacharach was content to delegate authority to the jockeys and trainers.

He was completely entertained by us, not the other way around, according to Desormeaux. He did his coaching behind the piano; he wasn't there to do it. He undoubtedly knew everything there was to know about horse racing, breeding, and the entire sport. He could walk the walk if he were hanging out with some horsemen.

The filly Heartlight No. One was bred by Bacharach and is named after the song he co-wrote for Neil Diamond. Bacharach, who is always positive, wanted the song to top the charts, so he added it to the filly's name. The song peaked at No. 5, but she reached the very top; Heartlight No. One, who won the Eclipse Award in 1983 as the best 3-year-old filly in the country, reached the top spot even though the song only reached position five.
The filly, who was ridden by Hall of Fame jockey Laffit Pincay Jr., triumphed in two Grade 1 prizes, the sport's most valuable contests.

On a 1970 episode of the TV variety program "Hollywood Palace," which he co-hosted with his then-wife Angie Dickinson, Bacharach blended his passions for music and racing. Bill Shoemaker, a champion jockey, attended as a guest. At the time of his passing, Bacharach was still actively involved in the sport. In a collaboration with his fourth wife, Jane, he owned Duvet Day. Last month, the 4-year-old filly triumphed at Santa Anita.

Paddy Gallagher, who formerly worked as Bacharach's trainer, said of the man, "He loved the sport, he loved the horses." The bonus was winning.