ARCADIA, Calif. (June 21, 2018) — Soul of the Matter, who stood for many years at EA Ranches in California, died on Wednesday in Montana, where he had been retired. He was 27.
Soul of the Matter was bred by Burt Bacharach’s Blue Seas Music, raced for Bacharach and was trained by Richard Mandella. A winner of seven of 16 starts, Soul of the Matter earned $2,302,818. His biggest win came in the 1994 Super Derby (gr. I) with a neck victory over Concern. He also won that year’s San Felipe Stakes (gr. II) prior to a fifth-place finish behind Go for Gin in the Kentucky Derby (gr. I). He also finished fourth in that year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic (gr. I).
Soul of the Matter is perhaps best known for his final start, an epic battle with Cigar in the inaugural $4-million Dubai World Cup. Soul of the Matter challenged the Horse of the Year strongly in the stretch but came up a half-length short in the 1 1/4-mile race.