From the Publisher: David Cassidy

David Cassidy and I met and became friends over 35 years ago. Becoming friends was easy, as we shared three of my passions–thoroughbred racing, Saratoga, and Broadway.

We are the same age and met in our thirties, so I missed his days of the Partridge Family TV show and playing stadiums. He was still performing (just at smaller venues), but also looking to navigate the horse racing world. He loved racing, breeding, and a bit of betting. Sounds familiar I'm sure.

A few of my favorite David memories:

I got endocarditis through dentistry in October of 1989, and got very sick, eventually requiring a heart valve replacement in 1990. Safely Kept, the champion filly I owned with Rich Santulli, was running the table, and was headed for the 1989 Breeders' Cup at Gulfstream in early November. I was confined to home, and on daily intravenous antibiotics for a month. My horse-loving doctor gave me permission to go on race day, only if I promised to have an easy day and “stay calm.” My partner, Rich, provided a jet to Fort Lauderdale Saturday morning, and I arrived in time for the Sprint, then the first race. I had arranged to spend the day with David, my first day out of the house in a month. I arrived in the paddock wearing a long sleeve shirt covering my intravenous drip, having lost 30 pounds, with coloring best described as greenish grey. After a big hug and a once over, David observed, “you don't look like you're alive, you look like sh**.” He helped keep me calm as Safely Kept got beat the last jump (calm, really??). He ran my bets starting with a $200 exacta, paying $35,000, and going up from there on the day. He had money coming out of every pocket, as I had promised my doctor that I wasn't going to bet. We both survived and laughed about it for years.

There was the Matchmaker Christmas Party where he was the surprise guest in the mid 80's, but that story is still covered by a statute of limitations.

My sons, Josh and Brad, recall a Broadway trip to see Blood Brothers in 1994, where he starred with his brother Shaun and Petula Clark. The show was great; his performance was fantastic. We were back stage pre- and post- show and we all went out after. It was a very special day. He really loved my twins.

The night in London in 1988, with his wife Sue Shifrin and Harry Herbert at Blake's where he commandeered the piano and Sue worked on a song she was writing. The night went on for hours and we all thought we contributed to her craft. Fast forward to the next year, while having lunch at a New Jersey diner, I was amazed to hear the next table play Cher's new hit on their table jukebox “All because of you,” the song partially written that night in London. Where are those royalty checks?

And countless days at horse sales, or sitting in the box at Saratoga, reading Thoro-Graph sheets, picking winners, and enjoying the day with our sons, while watching them grow up. We both loved that we shared fun with our boys who got to know each other and also become friends.

It's ironic, losing two friends to organ failure in one week. There were many nights in NYC when Franklin Cummings got David and me home safely. Maybe Franklin and David are saying hello again now.

RIP my good friend, and a great friend to racing.

—Barry Weisbord