Silver Charm

Silver Charm (foaled February 22, 1994) is an American Champion Thoroughbred race horse. Trained by Bob Baffert and ridden by Gary Stevens, he is best known for winning the 1997 Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes in the Triple Crown. He also won the Dubai World Cup (of which he is the oldest surviving winner), and stood at stud in both America and Japan. Upon the death of Hansel, Silver Charm became the oldest living winner of the Preakness Stakes.

Silver Charm
Silver Charm in 2006.
Sire	Silver Buck
Grandsire	Buckpasser
Dam	Bonnie's Poker
Damsire	Poker
Sex	Stallion
Foaled	February 22, 1994
Country	USA
Color	Gray
Breeder	Mary Lou Wootton
Owner	Bob & Beverly Lewis
Trainer	Bob Baffert
Record	24: 12-7-2
Earnings	$6,944,369
Major wins
Del Mar Futurity (1996) San Vicente Stakes (1997) San Fernando Stakes (1998) Clark Handicap (1998) Dubai World Cup (1998) Kentucky Cup Classic Handicap (1998) San Pasqual Handicap (1999) Goodwood Stakes (1998) Strub Stakes (1998) American Triple Crown Race wins: Kentucky Derby (1997) Preakness Stakes (1997)
Awards
United States Champion 3-Year-Old Colt (1997)
Honours
United States' Racing Hall of Fame (2007) #63 - Top 100 U.S. Racehorses of the 20th Century

Background and early career

Silver Charm was foaled in Florida on February 22, 1994 out of the mare Bonnie's Poker and sired by Silver Buck, who was a son of Buckpasser. He was a gray colt with a blaze and was bred by Mary Lou Wootton.[1] As a two-year-old Silver Charm was purchased by trainer Bob Baffert for $85,000, and then resold to Beverly and Robert Lewis, who kept him in training with Baffert.[2] Silver Charm's first win was as a two-year-old, in the Del Mar Futurity.[3] Silver Charm entered the 1997 Kentucky Derby with Gary Stevens as his jockey. Silver Charm drew the sixth post position out of a field of 13, and broke well at the starting gate. He came out between other horses going into the backstretch and took the lead with less than a furlong to go. He won the Derby, finishing a head in front of Captain Bodgit.[4] It was Baffert's second time entering the Kentucky Derby or any American classic race; his horse Cavonnier had come in second the year before.[5] Silver Charm won the Preakness Stakes in the same manner, pulling ahead of Captain Bodgit and Free House just before the wire.[2]

Silver Charm lost the third jewel of the Triple Crown by placing second in the 1997 Belmont Stakes to Touch Gold; he lost by three quarters of a length.[6] He was the winner of the 1997 Eclipse Award for Outstanding Three-Year-Old Male Horse. He closed out his sophomore season with a runner-up finish in the Malibu Stakes.

Later racing career

At age 4, Silver Charm won the 1998 Dubai World Cup, San Fernando Stakes, Strub Stakes, Kentucky Cup Classic Handicap, Goodwood Handicap (now called the Awesome Again Stakes), and the Clark Handicap. He also finished second in both the Stephen Foster Handicap and Breeders' Cup Classic.[7]

At age 5, Silver Charm won the 1999 San Pasqual Handicap and placed third in both the Donn Handicap and Santa Anita Handicap. He also competed in the 1999 Dubai World Cup, finishing sixth. After his fourth-place finish in the Stephen Foster Handicap, Silver Charm was retired.

Stud career

Following the end of his race career, Silver Charm was retired to Three Chimneys Farm in Kentucky for an initial stud fee of $25,000. He stood stud in North America for five seasons, siring five crops of foals. In 2004 he was purchased by the Japanese Breeders Association, and was sent to stud in Japan.[8] He stood at the Shizunai Stallion Station in December 2004. In 2008, he stood at the Shichinohe Stallion Station and in 2009, at the Iburi Stallion Station.

Silver Charm's North American progeny features 15 stakes winners, most notably multiple graded stakes winners Preachinatthebar and Miss Isella. Silver Charm was not particularly successful in Japan, of 149 foals of racing age, he has been represented by one stakes-placed runner (in Korea). Overall, however, Silver Charm's progeny have made $2 million and won more than 1,000 races.

Honors

In the Blood-Horse magazine List of the Top 100 Racehorses of the 20th Century, Silver Charm was ranked #63.

In 2007, Silver Charm was inducted into the United States Racing Hall of Fame.[7]

Retirement

Silver Charm at Old Friends.

Silver Charm went to Japan to the Shizunai Stallion Station in 2004, with a so-called "buy-back clause" included in his sales contract. Since the slaughterhouse death of Kentucky Derby winner Ferdinand, the New York Owners and Breeder's Association has begun asking for a small voluntary per-race charge called the "Ferdinand Fee." These monies are intended for the Bluegrass Charities and the Thoroughbred Charities of America to help fund racehorse rescue and retirement groups and keep horses from slaughter when their breeding or racing careers are over. This has led racehorse owners to include buy-back clauses within their stallion contracts.

On October 29, 2014, it was announced jointly by Three Chimneys Farm and Old Friends Farm that Silver Charm would return from Japan and be retired permanently at Old Friends Equine, a horse retirement facility, in Georgetown, Kentucky.[9] Beverly Lewis and her son Steve paid to bring Silver Charm back to Kentucky, where he remains at Old Friends and can be visited by the public.[9]

Pedigree

[10]

Pedigree of Silver Charm

Sire Silver Buck gray 1978	Buckpasser bay 1963	Tom Fool bay 1949	Menow
			Gaga
		Busanda black 1947	War Admiral
			Businesslike
	Silver True gray 1964	Hail To Reason brown 1958	Turn-To
			Nothirdchance
		Silver Fog gray 1944	Mahmoud
			Equilette
Dam Bonnie Poker dark brown 1982	Poker bay 1963	Round Table bay 1954	Princequillo
			Knights Daughter
		Glamour bay 1953	Nasrullah
			Striking
	What A Surprise bay 1968	Wise Margin bay 1950	Market Wise
			One Ripple
		Militant Miss brown 1951	Faultless
			Miss Militant

References

• Preakness winners

1. "Silver Charm Pensioned, Returning to Kentucky". Retrieved 18 November 2016.
2. Sowers, Richard (25 February 2014). The Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes: A Comprehensive History. McFarland. ISBN 9780786476985. Retrieved 18 November 2016 – via Google Books.
3. "Silver Charm".
4. "1997 - 2017 Kentucky Derby & Oaks - May 5 and 6, 2017 - Tickets, Events, News". Retrieved 18 November 2016.
5. "Welcome Home, Silver Charm". Retrieved 18 November 2016.
6. "Gainesville Sun - Google News Archive Search". Retrieved 18 November 2016.
7. http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/110301/silver-charm-settling-in-well-at-old-friends
8. "Park City Daily News - Google News Archive Search". Retrieved 18 November 2016.
9. "The News is HUGE. Derby Champion Silver Charm coming to Old Friends". Retrieved 18 November 2016.
10. Michelson, Miles. "Silver Charm Horse Pedigree". Retrieved 18 November 2016.

External links

• Silver Charm Racing Into History