Silver Charm Settling In Well at Old Friends

Champion Silver Charm was settling in well at Old Friends Farm Dec. 2 following a long journey home to Kentucky from Japan.

The 1997 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes (both gr. I) winner, a 20-year-old son of Silver Buck—Bonnie's Poker, by Poker, greeted fans at Old Friends Farm near Georgetown, Ky., one day after walking off the horse van at the equine retirement facility. He was pensioned from stud duties this season and returned to Old Friends from the JBBA Shizunai Stallion Station, where he stood since 2005.

Sandy Hatfield, stallion manager for Three Chimneys Farm, held the shank as a large group saluted the bright-eyed champion on a foggy afternoon. Camera shutters clicked, and outside the paddock fence a woman held up a sign that simply read: "Welcome Home Silver Charm."

After spending three weeks in quarantine in Japan, Silver Charm left that country the last week of November on an 18-hour flight with a layover in Anchorage, Alaska, and from there traveled to Chicago, where he was quarantined four days at Arlington International Racecourse.

Finally, after shipping eight additional hours by van from Illinois to Kentucky, he arrived at the farm that will be his forever home "just as cool as a cucumber," Old Friends founder Michael Blowen said.

"It's a rough trip, it's not exactly a lot of fun for them, for sure, but he came off the trailer looking like he still could breed, still could run, still could do whatever he wanted. He's beautiful," Blowen said. "It's just a great example of everyone working together for the betterment of the sport in general and the betterment of the horse in particular."

Bred by Mary Lou Wooton, Silver Charm raced for Bob and Beverly Lewis and was trained by Hall of Fame horseman Bob Baffert. Though he lost his bid for the Triple Crown when passed by Touch Gold in the Belmont Stakes (gr. I), Silver Charm was named champion 3-year-old male of 1997.

At 4 he won the Dubai World Cup (UAE-I) and was second in the Breeders' Cup Classic (gr. I). He won 12 of 24 starts and earned $6,944,369. He was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 2007.

Silver Charm was retired to stud at Three Chimneys in Central Kentucky and stood for five seasons before moving to the JBBA Shizunai Stallion Station prior to the 2005 breeding season. It was announced he would be pensioned in late October.

Silver Charm Pensioned, Returning to Kentucky

"The Lewises paid for everything," Blowen said. "They set him up with an endowment to take care of him every year; they're very excited about it. Three Chimneys, of course, was fabulous with all of this, and I think it also sets it up so it's going to be a lot easier for us to get some of the additional American champions back when they're done over there."