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Silver Charm Also featuring Seattle Slew by Barbara Livingston 
July 19th had been a routine day for Seattle Slew. After
a warm night outside, he had been brought up at 7:15 AM and his
groom, Tom Wade, looked him over carefully as he did every morning.
Seattle Slew was soon tacked up, and had his regular morning jog --
a gentle mile over a wood chip track under exercise boy Kevin
Caskey. At age 25, Seattle Slew now set his own pace in these
morning outings, and Kevin rode him accordingly. Sometimes they
walked, sometimes jogged, sometimes a bit faster... And yet each
day Slew went at least a mile over the soft surface that encircled
his paddock. Afterward, Slew was returned to his stall, and the
other stallions followed suit. Capote, French Deputy, Rahy;
the stallions were tacked up each morning and galloped around that
same track as they began their daily routines.
Back in his stall, Seattle Slew relaxed and dipped his head, the floor laid thick with straw. He stood silently, not moving, his unique eyes glowing in the subtle light. He knew that he was Seattle Slew, and that there was no other like him. Tom Wade quietly took another look in at him, and smiled. All was right with their world.  Tom had been with Seattle Slew for a long time now. He started
taking care of the Triple Crown winner in 1982, back in the glory
days of the Nashua Hotel at Spendthrift Farm. And when Seattle Slew
moved to Three Chimneys on September 6, 1985 Tom accompanied him,
and they have now remained there for over fourteen years.
Tom has had other horses in his care, of course --- two of Seattle Slew's top runners, Capote and Slew o' Gold, were among them. And yet Seattle Slew easily reigned above them all. In the afternoons, Slew went out to the paddock first. In the mornings, he was the first to be brought in. And when the morning exercise began, it was the 25-year-old Seattle Slew who led the way. But where Will Harbut had been the consummate groom and showman with his immortal Man o' War, there was little showman in Tom. He was, however, the consummate groom and attentive friend to his own immortal charge. In his stall, Seattle Slew raised his head. It was midday, and things were waking up at Three Chimneys. Slew was used to such goings-on --- Three Chimneys was no stranger to gatherings and social occasions. There had even been such an occasion several years earlier, when a large group gathered in his honor to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of Seattle Slew's Triple Crown win. And now a crowd had gathered again, in the courtyard behind the first stallion barn. It was a large group --- perhaps 60, perhaps 80 --- and the sounds of their voices intermixed with the soft hoof beats of an arriving horse. Their sounds wandered in and out of the barn, wafting through the heat of a very oppressive July day. Moments passed, and a few people trickled into the stallion barn. Slew watched with slight interest, glancing occasionally toward the doorway. And then, suddenly, an attractive grey horse entered the barn, his head held high, four white shipping wraps --- and Tom Wade on the end of the shank. They moved quickly through the barn, near Seattle Slew, and into the stall to his immediate right. Slew, who had always had an affinity for grey horses, raised his head and watched intently. The crowd entered behind the grey, and gathered before his stall. They exchanged stories, watched each movement that the horse made, remembered great moments which this horse had provided them. And a few, in reverence to the truly great, made their way to Seattle Slew's stall, gazing quietly at his name etched on the door plaque. Some ran their fingers slowly along the letters, and watched the grand dark bay as he looked far past them. They remembered another time, and thought of his brilliance, his dominance, his courage. They remembered his Triple Crown, and his wins over Affirmed, and his incredibly game loss to Exceller. They thought of all that he had done some twenty years ago, and all that he had accomplished since then. Surfside kept his name alive, and Chief Seattle, and Doneraile Court; Seattle Slew was always with them, and it seemed as though he had always been. And now this majestic grey horse, named Silver Charm, had joined his band of stallions. Seattle Slew and Silver Charm shared several similarities. Where Slew was bought as a yearling for $17,500, some twenty years later the yearling Silver Charm was purchased for only $16,500. Both were by fine stallions, but both easily became the highlight horses of their sires' careers. Both were out of Poker mares, a tough-willed 1963-model Phipps' horse that left quite a mark on racing history. And both set the horseracing world on fire with their respective Triple Crown attempts. While the great Seattle Slew easily stormed through his Triple Crown undefeated and virtually untested, Silver Charm took a far different route in his attempt at immortality. Silver Charm was an unknown two-year-old when the racing world got their first look at him. The McKathan Brothers had bought him privately as a 2-year-old for $85,000, for owner Bob Lewis and trainer Bob Baffert. His first race came on August 10, 1996, on the undercard of an incredibly historic day at Del Mar. He finished second that day to the ill-fated Deeds Not Words, but went virtually unnoticed as the huge gathering waited for the day's big event. Cigar went down fighting that day, as Dare and Go pulled away to take the Pacific Classic and deny Cigar's bid for seventeen straight victories. Silver Charm raced twice more that year, winning both starts including his first stakes event, the Del Mar Futurity. He began to be noticed and, when he started his 1997 season with an easy win in the San Vicente, people started to talk Derby talk. After all, Bob Baffert and the Lewises were already formidable names, after only a few years in the game; and Bob Baffert had just taken an obscurely bred gelding named Cavonnier and almost won the Run for the Roses with him the previous year. Silver Charm followed his San Vicente win with two losses to the beautiful Free House but he was still highly regarded as he went on to the Kentucky Derby for a run at history. And what a run he made, winning the Derby by a stubborn head over a fast-closing Captain Bodgit. He followed this win with a stunning head win over Free House and Captain Bodgit in the Preakness, in one of the most stirring stretch duels of recent memory. And when he went on to the Belmont Stakes, the world waited in awe of his determination and in certainty of his place in history.  He shipped to New York late, and the media had only a few glances of him trackside before the big day. Newsweek had taken notice, as well as Time Magazine --- publications that rarely covered racing stories. Bob Baffert, Gary Stevens and the Lewises became very media-friendly as they were hounded wherever they went. They handed out buttons, hats --- a Silver Charm Belmont shirt was marketed, and "The Third Time's a Charm" became racing's collective anthem. Few people noticed a thick bay horse in training just a few barns away, a fascinating runner who loved to eat leaves, chase chickens and look at the Daily Racing Form. But it was this runner, Touch Gold, who nipped Silver Charm on the Belmont wire and denied the popular grey his Triple Crown. Silver Charm did not race again for some six months, but came back in late December to finish second in the Malibu. He reeled off three successive wins after that, by far the most impressive being the Dubai World Cup, one of the world's premiere races. Silver Charm ventured to the sands of Saudi Arabia to meet an impressive array of international stars and, in his usual fashion, he hung on desperately to win the wire decision over the European star, Swain. While his record after the 1998 Dubai World Cup was still impressive, it was perhaps not the same as before his journey. He won some brilliant races --- the Kentucky Cup Classic in a deadheat with Wild Rush, the Clark Handicap, the San Pasqual; And yet he had his hard-trying losses too, which only endeared him more to his fans. He won the Goodwood in October over his old rival Free House, and racing fans were thrilled for the chance to finally see him settle a score at Churchill with another grey foe, a horse which he had never before faced --- Skip Away. The fans' hopes were dashed in the Breeders' Cup Classic when Silver Charm took an odd route out to eyeball a drifting Swain, and a tired Skip Away backed up quietly to finish sixth. Awesome Again, under Churchill Downs' master Pat Day, burst past Silver Charm for the shocking win. 
Silver Charm ended his year with a head win in the Clark Handicap
and, when the Lewises announced that The Charm would run at age
five, the racing world was thrilled for more chances to see their
equine hero. But he just didn't return the same and, after a win
in the San Pasqual in January, he was easily defeated by Puerto
Madero and Behrens in the Gulfstream Handicap. Fans complained
about the post position, the distance, the weight of 126 pounds,
and even began to chant for the removal of all handicap races; but
in reality Silver Charm was just not the same horse. He raced three
more times without success, including a return trip to Dubai. And
after another surprising loss, in Churchill Downs' Stephen Foster
on June 12th, the racing world agreed with the Lewises
that it was time to retire him. He had done more than enough.
With a record of twelve wins in 24 starts, almost seven million dollars in earnings and only two unplaced finishes, Silver Charm easily took his place amongst the best of his generation. His heart and determination were unquestioned, and he deserved the hero's greeting that surrounded him on that sweltering July day at Three Chimneys. And yet he still wasn't done impressing his fans. October 16th was a big day in Lexington, as both the Keeneland races and the UK Homecoming game took place. Due to television constraints, both the races and the football game took place simultaneously so, at Keeneland, race fans clung to television sets, wore headsets, and cheered heartily at each touchdown of the home team. As the game was 35-7 in their favor by the fourth quarter, those cheers were frequent. And it was Three Chimneys' Spinster Day. Each race was named for a different Three Chimneys stallion --- The Rahy, The Wild Again, The Seattle Slew (in split divisions), The Capote... The most amusing race was The Joyeux Danseur, as the track announcer just couldn't get his tongue around that name. And there was the fifth race, The Silver Charm, which featured probably the final trackside appearance of the big boy.  Autumn is a beautiful time at Keeneland, brilliantly colored
leaves swirling about the paddocks. And into the paddock Silver
Charm came, walking slowly and quietly at Tom Wade's side. As they
strode in, there was an audible reaction from the crowd and a
strong round of applause as they recognized their equine hero.
The Charm's saddlecloth helped in their recognition, the
words "SILVER CHARM" in capital letters in the familiar Keeneland
green and yellow. Silver Charm and Tom fit each other well, and
The Charm moved methodically and comfortably. His amazingly calm
personality hadn't changed with his time away, and he surveyed the
crowd with a distinct interest. Children strained on parents'
shoulders to see him, fans pushed closer to the rail, and cameras
clicked as people recorded this unique moment.
After a few rounds of the small paddock his old exercise boy Mick Jenner got a leg up, and Silver Charm instantly changed. He began to prance, and he took on an entirely different air. His neck bowed and his chest swelled. Now, despite his slight belly and the months since competition, he suddenly had a feeling of what he was there for. To race. He argued a bit with Tom, tugged on the shank, danced a bit more --- looked great. Looked like a champion. He stepped out onto the historic Keeneland oval accompanied by a grey pony, was led up the stretch, and turned and jogged back by the stands. No grand gallop, no field of runners in tow. Just an incredible occasion to give the world one more look at this wonderful runner.  The infield tote board flashed altering messages about Silver
Charm as the announcer recited information about him: the
world's third-leading money earner; winner of the Kentucky Derby,
Preakness, and Dubai World Cup; champion three-year-old; off to
a life at stud at Three Chimneys Farm... Silver Charm danced his
way down the stretch, and the crowd applauded appreciatively. It
was a wonderful gesture from Robert Clay with his "stallion-in-
training." By next year, after a year in the breeding shed, this
would probably not be a possibility.
Silver Charm continued down the stretch, passed the wire, and eventually disappeared off the racing office gap. He was immediately returned to Three Chimneys, and was comfortably in his stall by the time the Three Chimneys' Spinster Day was over. Monday morning was met with a cold front, but memories of the events of two days earlier were still fresh at the Three Chimneys' stallion barn. At 7:15, as always, the stallions were brought in, led by Seattle Slew. They settled into their respective stalls and Tom Wade, as usual, gazed for a few moments at Seattle Slew. "You didn't roll last night," he quietly told the big horse. Usually Slew promptly rolled upon being let outside, and as a result he usually he came back dirty. This morning he was clean. They tacked Seattle Slew up, and it was still fifteen minutes before daybreak when they gave Kevin Caskey a leg up. Slew headed out for his daily routine, walking calmly down the wood chip track, ears forward. Perhaps it was the chill, or the slight breeze, but this morning he was feeling very good. The first time around the two-furlong track was taken at a slow jog, the second and third time a bit quicker. For the final lap he broke out into a slow gallop, and just the sound of his hoof beats took the breath away. He was still grand at age 25, and still capable of making a person's heart beat a bit faster. The sun had still not yet risen when he returned to the barn to cool out, and the other stallions followed him. Capote, French Deputy, Rahy; the sun rose and the grass glowed with the fresh morning. Then out came their young grey stallion, Silver Charm. He had been given Sunday off and although he strode quite quietly to the track, upon reaching it he aggressively exploded into a strong gallop. Kevin took a tight hold, but it took all of his strength on this chilly morning.  Wes Lanter, the stallion manager, glanced over at The Charm
dragging his rider down the track. "Look at him this morning," he
laughed to Kevin. "He's sure full of himself." Kevin laughed back,
through gritted teeth. "Yeah, he's tearing my arms out!" he yelled
and, with that, Silver Charm was gone again, on to another lap. "He
must remember Keeneland from Saturday," Wes said almost to himself,
smiling and shaking his head in awe.
If Seattle Slew was the captain of this stallion roster, Silver Charm was just happy to be in the game. He loved this morning routine, the cold air, the wet grass, his new life. He pulled harder on the bit and bucked as he ran down the backside, despite Kevin's tight hold. Life was good for Silver Charm. Back in his stall, Seattle Slew relaxed and dipped his head, the floor laid thick with straw. He stood silently, not moving, his unique eyes glowing in the subtle light. He knew that he was Seattle Slew, and that there was no other like him. Tom Wade quietly took another look in at him, and smiled. All was right with their world. Pedigree:
Racing Record:
Race Record: At 2:
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