Over fifty years after his initial performance of the song at
Carnegie Hall, Grammy-award winner
Tony Bennett will perform his classic
hit “The Best is Yet to Come” at the 2012 Breeders’ Cup World
Championships at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif., Breeders’ Cup
announced today at a media event featuring Tony Bennett at Siro’s
Restaurant in Manhattan.
In May, Breeders’ Cup launched a new brand campaign that utilizes
“The Best is Yet to Come” as a centerpiece, using the song itself, as
well as the title, as a core element in its brand identity, advertising
and media.
The $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic will air in primetime on NBC
Saturday, November 3, 8-9 p.m. ET. Bennett will perform live from the
Winner’s Circle as the Classic horses make their way to the starting
gate for the race.
The Breeders’ Cup World Championships, Thoroughbred racing’s most
prestigious global event, annually attracts the best horses from around
the world. The Breeders’ Cup consists of 15 races with purses totaling
more than $25 million over the two-day event, being held this year on
November 2 and 3.
“I am thrilled that the Breeders Cup chose ‘The Best Is Yet To
Come’ as their theme for the event as it’s a wonderful song and I love
it just as much as when I first introduced the song to the American
public in 1960,” said Tony Bennett. “I look forward to singing it for
everyone on November 3rd.”
“We could not be more honored and excited that Tony Bennett will
be performing at the Breeders’ Cup this year,” said Peter Rotondo, Vice
President of Media and Entertainment for the Breeders’ Cup. “Tony is a
legendary entertainer. His performance will welcome to the track some of
the greatest Thoroughbreds in the world with a song that has become an
anthem for the Breeders’ Cup.”
With millions of records sold world-wide and platinum and gold
albums to his credit, Bennett has received seventeen Grammy Awards --
including a 1995 Grammy for Record of the Year for his "MTV Unplugged"
CD which introduced this American master to a whole new generation --
and the Grammy Lifetime Award. His 2007 prime-time special, "Tony
Bennett: An American Classic," won seven Emmy Awards. His initial
successes came via a string of Columbia singles in the early 1950's,
including such chart-toppers as "Because of You," "Rags to Riches," and a
remake of Hank Williams "Cold, Cold Heart." He had 24 songs in the Top
40, including "I Wanna Be Around," "The Good Life," "Who Can I Turn To
(When Nobody Needs Me)" and his signature song, "I Left My Heart In San
Francisco," recorded 50 years ago, as of January 2012. This song
garnered him two Grammy Awards. Tony Bennett is one of a handful of
artists to have new albums charting in the 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's, 90's,
and now in the first two decades of the 21st century. He has introduced
a multitude of songs into the Great American Songbook that have since
become standards for pop music. He has toured the world to sold out
audiences with rave reviews whenever he performs. Bennett releases a new
CD, TONY BENNETT: VIVA DUETS on Monday, October 22, featuring the
singer performing his greatest hits with top Latin artists including
Marc Anthony, Gloria Estefan, Vicente Fernandez, Thalia, Romeo Santos
and many more.