Ann Mudge Backer, a prominent Virginia owner and breeder who operated Smitten Farm, died peacefully at her home Aug. 15. She was 93.
Born in Pittsburgh in 1932, Backer lived a colorful and influential life that stretched beyond the Thoroughbred industry. She was an ardent supporter of the anti-war movement, a civil rights activist, and received a degree from New York Law School before becoming a public defender for Legal Aid in New York. Alongside her first husband, New York-based defense attorney Elliot Taikeff, she played a key role in the defense of Native American activists at Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.
In 1983, she married advertising executive William Backer, who created the famous Coca-Cola commercial with the song, "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing." The two shared a love for horses and founded Smitten Farm in Fauquier County, Va.
Under William's name, the farm bred grade 1 winners Her Smile and Out for a Spin. They also bred and raced graded winners Snit, Scotch Heather, and Blind Date. Following her husband's death in 2016, Backer remained committed to Smitten Farm and reimagined their racing operation in a small, specialized broodmare establishment.
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Backer was twice honored as the Virginia Breeder of the Year and bred multiple Virginia-bred champion Gigante, currently an eight-time stakes winner and earner of more than $1.5 million, who won the 2023 Secretariat Stakes (G2T) in his home state at Colonial Downs. She also bred stakes winner Winfinity.
