David Cassidy Passes Away

David Cassidy leads Sweet Vendetta into winner's circle. | Horsephotos

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For all he did in a celebrated entertainment career that began as an actor in the '70s TV show The Partridge Family and catapulted him into a teen idol and international stardom, David Cassidy had a life-long love and passion for Thoroughbred racing. He embraced the business as a breeder/owner-seller and, most of all, a fan.

Cassidy died Tuesday in a Florida hospital at the age of 67. He had been hospitalized for several days with organ failure and had been battling health issues that included dementia, which he publicly revealed earlier this year in announcing he would no longer be performing.

“David died surrounded by those he loved, with joy in his heart and free from the pain that had gripped him for so long,” read a family statement released by publicist JoAnn Geffen. “Thank you for the abundance and support you have shown him these many years.”

The news that he had been hospitalized affected friends and a multitude of fans in the entertainment world, but it particularly touched the hearts of the Thoroughbred racing world in which he had become someone who had become a student of pedigrees, talking about lineages with a depth of knowledge and understanding. He bought his first yearling in 1974 and won numerous races in more than 35 years. Some of his trainers included Gary Contessa, Arthur Silvera and Jim Day. His most prominent victory came in 2008 in the GII Black-Eyed Susan S. with homebred Sweet Vendetta, trained by Contessa.

Silvera said Cassidy was someone he could call or randomly text and talk about anything, but primarily horses.

“Yeah he was my owner, but it escalated and turned into a good friendship,” Silvera said. “At the racetrack, especially Saratoga, he was somewhat of a fixture there, always at Gary's barn, and the topic of conversation was 99% horses and horse racing. He wasn't a big guy in the breeding game, but he was very sharp about who he bred to, what he bred to and what the end result would turn into. He had so much passion for horses and horse racing. In Ocala, the first thing we'd do is visit his broodmares and babies and spent hours talking about who they are bred to, what he expects. He'd just go on for hours.

“I felt quite honored he had me name a few of his horses. The first I named for him was Angel In Harlem after the U2 song. Another one was Summer In Saratoga, which I think kind of summed up his [love affair with Saratoga].”

Cassidy delivered the keynote speech at the 2005 National Thoroughbred Racing's Hall of Fame induction ceremony at Saratoga. He annually spent summers at Saratoga, where he had a home and an owner's box at the track.

“I want to celebrate the fact that we are in the greatest race place of all time,” Cassidy said in his speech. “It has been so for 120 years, and I hope it will be so for another 120 years. It has been a place that I have visited at least for one day, whether I was touring the world, being on Broadway, making films, being on tour in Europe, being in the west end of London, playing in Las Vegas,” he said. “Every contract said, 'His week off is between Aug. 7 and Aug. 14.' That's no lie.

“I want to be an ambassador for this sport. We need an ambassador; we need a face. I would be delighted and honored if I could assist all of you in taking the next step to see that Thoroughbred racing becomes the No. 1 sport in our country again.”

Cassidy had a horse Mayan King on the Kentucky Derby trail in 2005.

“That was a big highpoint in David's horse racing career,” Silvera said. “He was just over the moon about his situation that Mayan King could be possibly pointed towards the Derby.”

An injury sustained in a prep race prevented the horse from running in the Derby.

Cassidy gave generously of his time as an entertainer to support industry causes.

“For years I ran an annual fundraiser for the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation and David was my first call when I was looking for experiences to auction off,” said Sue Finley, Senior V.P. and Co-Publisher of the Thoroughbred Daily News. “He never turned us down, donating parts on TV shows, concert tickets and performing at our events. He was as down-to-earth and he was generous and raised tens of thousands of dollars to help retired racehorses.”

Award-winning photographer Barbara Livingston tweeted: “David sure loved racing and he knew it well. And he was always so nice to fans along the way, flashing that famous smile.”

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