Racing fans only saw this filly in action during the 1983 season. And the majority of her schedule took her across Southern California before a brief excursion to New York.

But despite the limited number of starts, Heartlight No. One went out and won races before taking her highest honor for her work.

Owned by noted composer Burt Bacharach (who co-wrote the song for which she was named), Heartlight No. One was conditioned by Pedro Marti. She began her career in early 1983 at Santa Anita, taking third in a maiden special weight contest at six furlongs while ridden by Bill Shoemaker. Coming back in late spring at Hollywood Park with Laffit Pincay, Jr. (who rode her in every start thereafter), the filly improved enough to graduate while leaving her rivals far behind at the Home of Champions. That effort gave her a ticket to the Grade I Hollywood Oaks several weeks later, and she justified the confidence shown in her by taking the race by a whopping twelve lengths.

No one could stop Heartlight No. One at Hollywood Park in 1983, and history repeated itself at Del Mar that summer. She showed turf was also her game at the seaside, winning a one-mile allowance in her first start there before beating everyone in the Grade II Del Mar Oaks. All of her victories saw her well in front, which meant she not just loved to win, she relished doing so in style.

The Del Mar Oaks marked the final time Heartlight No. One raced in Southern California. She headed East to Belmont Park, subsquently taking the Grade I Ruffian Handicap in her debut over the enormous track. She came back in the Grade I Beldame at one and one-quarter miles (the longest race of her career). In contention the whole way, she nearly won but was pipped late by a head.

Though she did not close out 1983 on a winning note, Heartlight No. One still came out on top later on. With her stupendous record, she was voted Champion Three-Year-Old Filly at the Eclipse Awards. Despite never racing again, the daughter of Rock Talk still managed to collect a major honor after her swan song performance in the Beldame.

After being idle for the first half of 1984, Heartlight No. One was retired that summer due to injury. Despite not returning for a four-year-old campaign, however, she put herself alongside fellow Thoroughbreds like Landaluce and later Lady's Secret, Personal Ensign and Winning Colors as a memorable filly of the decade.

A sense of what might have been follows her years after she retired, but it can be said that the spring and summer of 1983 belonged to Heartlight No. One here in Southern California.