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09/03/2009 03:37 PM

David Cassidy is a Saratoga Race Course fan

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SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. -- When it comes to teen idols of the 70s, nobody was bigger than David Cassidy. He's best known for portraying Keith Partridge in the musical sitcom, "The Partridge Family." He also had a successful solo career, selling over 30 million records worldwide. But today, he has another passion - horse breeding, and visiting the Saratoga Race Course.

He said, "I've been coming here since I played SPAC in the early to mid-70s, and I bought my very first horse here, at Fasig Tipton."

From there he started breeding horses, which he's done consistently, except when working on a successful Vegas act.

"Towards the middle of the 80s, I just didn't have the time and I moved to Europe. I was there for three out of the four years in the mid-80s, and it just became completely out of the realm of possibility to manage it."

But then he was back in stride. And of all the places to enjoy racing, Cassidy feels this really is the August place to be.

"Saratoga is mecca, and you can ask the biggest breeders in the world, I mean, everybody wants to win a race here.

The fact that David Cassidy is a racing horse enthusiast is nothing new. He bought his first horse back in 1974, when he was only 23 years old. It also happened to be the height of his teen idol years, which some people still remember.

David Cassidy fan Anne Marie Carpico said, "I know when I was younger I didn't miss The Partridge Family. Every week I would watch it because I was so in love with David Cassidy. As a matter of fact, the Teen Beats, I used to have them all over my wall, and it was all about David Cassidy."

But his television work isn't just a thing of the past. In fact, he's got a new sit-com, "Ruby and the Rocketts," which touches upon, of all things, the music industry.

"And I get to satirize the whole genre of being a rock star and idol and my character is so full of himself, as so many rock stars have been," he said.

But the more I spoke with David Cassidy, who was also doing an interview with Star 101.3 radio, his passion went further than just horse racing. It was also about the history and prestige of this particular area.

"There's no place else I'd rather be," he said. "I've owned a couple of houses here. Whenever I'm free, I've been doing concerts for the last six or seven years since I left Las Vegas, and using Saratoga as my base, and it's my favorite place in the world."

And his passion continues, whether it's worldwide fame or a day at the races.