Silver Charm (foaled February 22, 1994) is a champion American

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are c ...

racehorse Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...

who won the 1997 Kentucky Derby and

Preakness Stakes The Preakness Stakes is an American thoroughbred horse race held on Armed Forces Day which is also the third Saturday in May each year at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a Grade I race run over a distance of 9.5 furlongs () on ...

and 1998

Dubai World Cup The Dubai World Cup (Arabic: كأس دبي العالمي) is a Thoroughbred horse race held annually since 1996 and contested at the Meydan Racecourse (Arabic: ميدان) which in Arabic suggests a place wh ...

(all of which he is the oldest surviving winner). He stood at stud in both America and Japan and is now retired at

Old Friends Farm Old Friends is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) equine retirement facility in Georgetown, Kentucky, accredited by the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA). The organization started with one leased paddock and two horses, but now owns 136 acres, Dreamchase ...

in Kentucky. Upon the death of

Hansel "Hansel and Gretel" (; german: Hänsel und Gretel ) is a German fairy tale collected by the German Brothers Grimm and published in 1812 in ''Grimm's Fairy Tales'' (KHM 15). It is also known as Little Step Brother and Little Step Sister. Hanse ...

, Silver Charm became the oldest living winner of the

; upon the death of

Grindstone A grindstone, also known as grinding stone, is a sharpening stone used for grinding or sharpening ferrous tools, used since ancient times. Tools are sharpened by the stone's abrasive qualities that remove material from the tool through friction ...

, he also became the oldest living winner of the

Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby is a horse race held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, almost always on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The competition is a Grade I stakes race for three-year ...

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 Buckpasser (1963–1978) was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who was the 1966 Horse of the Year. His other achievements include 1965 Champion Two-Year-Old, 1966 Champion Three-Year-Old, 1966 Champion Handicap Horse, and 1967 Champi ...

. He was a gray colt with a blaze and was bred by Mary Lou Wootton. As a two-year-old Silver Charm was purchased by trainer

Bob Baffert Robert A. Baffert (born January 13, 1953) is an American racehorse trainer who trained the 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah and 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify. Baffert's horses have won a record six Kentucky Derbies, seven Preakne ...

for $85,000, and then resold to Beverly and Robert Lewis, who kept him in training with Baffert. Silver Charm's first win was as a two-year-old, in the

Del Mar Futurity The Del Mar Futurity is a seven-furlong American Thoroughbred horse race held annually at Del Mar Racetrack in Del Mar, California. A Grade I event since 2007, the race is open to two-year-old horses and offers a purse of $300,000. In 1971, it was ...

. 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 Captain Bodgit (foaled in 1994) is a millionaire American Thoroughbred racehorse who is a multiple stakes winner, including the Grade 1 Florida Derby and Grade 2 Wood Memorial. He is best known for his "flying" closing finishes in the first two ...

. 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. Silver Charm won the Preakness Stakes in the same manner, pulling ahead of Captain Bodgit and Free House just before the wire. Silver Charm lost the third jewel of the Triple Crown by placing second in the 1997 Belmont Stakes to

Touch Gold Touch Gold (foaled May 26, 1994 in Kentucky) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse best known as the winner of the Classic Belmont Stakes, in which he ended Silver Charm's bid for the U.S. Triple Crown. Background Sired by Canadian Horse Raci ...

; he lost by three quarters of a length. 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 The Malibu Stakes is a race for three-year-old thoroughbred horses of either gender held each December at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. The race is at a distance of seven furlongs '' and is the first leg of Santa Anita Park's Strub Seri ...

Later racing career

At age 4, Silver Charm won the 1998

, San Fernando Stakes, Strub Stakes, Kentucky Cup Classic Handicap, Goodwood Handicap (now called the

Awesome Again Stakes The Awesome Again Stakes is a Grade I American Thoroughbred horse race for horses aged three years old or older over the distance of one and one-eighth miles on the dirt scheduled annually in September at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. ...

), and the

Clark Handicap The Clark Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in late November at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. Among the oldest races in the United States, it was first run in 1875, the year the racetrack opened for business. C ...

. He also finished second in both the

Stephen Foster Handicap The Stephen Foster Stakes is a Grade I American Thoroughbred horse race for horses aged three and older over a distance of miles on the dirt run annually in mid-June at Churchill Downs Spring Meet in Louisville, Kentucky. The race is named in ...

and

Breeders' Cup Classic The Breeders' Cup Classic is a Grade I Weight for Age thoroughbred horse race for 3-year-olds and older run at a distance of on dirt. It is held annually at a different racetrack as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships in late October o ...

. At age 5, Silver Charm won the 1999

San Pasqual Handicap The San Pasqual Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually during February at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. The Grade II event is open to horses, age four and up, willing to race one and one-eighth miles (9 furlongs) on ...

and placed third in both the

Donn Handicap The Donn Handicap was an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually from 1959 through 2016 at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Florida. A race for horses age four and older, it was contested on turf from inception through 1964 at a distance ...

and

Santa Anita Handicap The Santa Anita Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in early March at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. It is a Grade I race for horses four years old and up and was once considered the most important race for old ...

. 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 Three Chimneys Farm is an American Thoroughbred race horse breeding farm in Midway, Kentucky, established in 1972 by Mr. & Mrs. Robert N. Clay. Three Chimneys has been home to a number of famous horses including U.S. Triple Crown champion Se ...

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 Stud may refer to the following terms: Animals * Stud (animal), an animal retained for breeding ** Stud farm, a property where livestock are bred Arts and entertainment * Stud (band), a British progressive rock group * The Stud (bar), a gay ba ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. He stood at the

Shizunai Stallion Station Shizunai Stallion Station is a Japanese Thoroughbred horse farm was opened in 1963 and is located on the island of Hokkaidō. Operated by the Japan Bloodhorse Breeders' Association (JBBA), it is located in Shizunai whose sister city is Lexingto ...

in December 2004. In 2008, he stood at the

Shichinohe Stallion Station The Japan Bloodhorse Breeding Association ( ja, 日本軽種馬協会, or ) is a public company established to manage the racehorse breeding industry in Japan. It was founded in 1946 as the Thoroughbred Corporation Association, and was renamed to ...

and in 2009, at the

Iburi Stallion Station The Japan Bloodhorse Breeding Association ( ja, 日本軽種馬協会, or ) is a public company established to manage the racehorse breeding industry in Japan. It was founded in 1946 as the Thoroughbred Corporation Association, and was renamed to ...

. 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 ''BloodHorse'' is a multimedia news organization covering Thoroughbred racing and breeding that started with a newsletter first published in 1916 as a monthly bulletin put out by the Thoroughbred Horse Association.

, Silver Charm was ranked #63. In 2007, Silver Charm was inducted into the United States Racing Hall of Fame.

Retirement

Silver Charm went to

to the

in 2004, with a so-called "buy-back clause" included in his sales contract. Since the

slaughterhouse A slaughterhouse, also called abattoir (), is a facility where animals are slaughtered to provide food. Slaughterhouses supply meat, which then becomes the responsibility of a packaging facility. Slaughterhouses that produce meat that is no ...

death of

winner

Ferdinand Ferdinand is a Germanic name composed of the elements "protection", "peace" (PIE "to love, to make peace") or alternatively "journey, travel", Proto-Germanic , abstract noun from root "to fare, travel" (PIE , "to lead, pass over"), and "co ...

, the New York Owners and Breeder's Association has begun asking for a small voluntary per-race charge called the "

Ferdinand Fee Ferdinand is a Germanic name composed of the elements "protection", "peace" (PIE "to love, to make peace") or alternatively "journey, travel", Proto-Germanic , abstract noun from root "to fare, travel" (PIE , "to lead, pass over"), and "co ...

." These monies are intended for the

Bluegrass Charities Bluegrass or Blue Grass may refer to: Plants * Bluegrass (grass), several species of grasses of the genus ''Poa'' **Kentucky bluegrass (''Poa pratensis''), one well-known species of the genus Arts and media * Bluegrass music, a form of Amer ...

and the

Thoroughbred Charities of America The Thoroughbred is a list of horse breeds, horse breed best known for its use in Thoroughbred racing, horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to th ...

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 Old Friends is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) equine retirement facility in Georgetown, Kentucky, accredited by the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA). The organization started with one leased paddock and two horses, but now owns 136 acres, Dreamchase ...

, a horse retirement facility, in

Georgetown, Kentucky Georgetown is a home rule-class city in Scott County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 37,086 at the 2020 census. It is the 6th-largest city by population in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It is the seat of its county. It was originall ...

. 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.

Pedigree

References

Preakness winners

External links

{{Preakness Stakes Winners 1994 racehorse births Racehorses bred in Florida Racehorses trained in the United States Kentucky Derby winners Preakness Stakes winners Dubai World Cup winners Eclipse Award winners United States Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame inductees American Grade 1 Stakes winners Thoroughbred family 3-l Old Friends Equine Retirement