BIG 'CAP LOSES CHARM; DERBY WINNER SIDELINED BY BRUISED FOOT.Byline: Kevin Modesti Daily News Staff Writer Happy birthday, Gary. ``Thank you,'' Gary Stevens
No. 35, on Friday, was one the Hall of Fame jockey will try to forget. Late in the morning, he got the news that Silver Charm Silver Charm (born February 22 1994) is an American Champion Thoroughbred race horse. Trained by Bob Baffert and ridden by Gary Stevens, Silver Charm won the 1997 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes before falling short of the Triple Crown by placing second in the Belmont , the colt he so painstakingly chose to ride in the Santa Anita Handicap The Santa Anita Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in the late winter at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. It is a Grade I race for horses three years old and up, and is considered the most important race for older horses in North America during , was scratched from today's race because of a bruised right foot. The stunning announcement left Gentlemen - the horse Stevens abandoned to fellow Hall of Famer Pat Day - a heavy, heavy favorite to beat three horses in the $1 million race, and left Santa Anita Santa Anita may refer to:
Sometimes, the birthday candles go out before you can make the wish. ``You have to live and die with your choice,'' said Stevens, clearly upset by the withdrawal of Silver Charm, the 1997 Kentucky Derby Kentucky Derby One of the classic U.S. Thoroughbred horse races. It was established in 1875 and run annually on the first Saturday in May at Churchill Downs track in Louisville, Ky. With the Preakness and the Belmont Stakes, it makes up U.S. racing's coveted Triple Crown. winner and 3-year-old champion, and a 4-5 favorite on the original Big 'Cap morning line. ``It's a part of the game.'' The good news is that Silver Charm's injury is relatively minor. The popular gray colt should heal in a few days. In fact, a similar injury to his other forefoot forefoot /fore·foot/ (-foot) 1. one of the front feet of a quadruped. 2. the fore part of the foot. appeared last weekend, after Silver Charm was reshod, but it was sound enough for him to work out Tuesday morning. The bruise on the sensitive part of the right foot known as the ``quarter'' wasn't evident until Friday, said Vince Baker, veterinarian veterinarian /vet·er·i·nar·i·an/ (vet?er-i-nar´e-an) a person trained and authorized to practice veterinary medicine and surgery; a doctor of veterinary medicine. vet·er·i·nar·i·an n. for trainer Bob Baffert's horses. Silver Charm went out for a 1-1/2-mile gallop about 9 a.m. and ``wasn't himself,'' said Suzanne Frank, an assistant trainer who was watching. Exercise rider Larry Damore told Baffert the horse wasn't striding properly. Stevens, astride a·stride adv. 1. With a leg on each side: riding astride. 2. With the legs wide apart. prep. 1. On or over and with a leg on each side of. 2. another horse nearby, saw Silver Charm on the track and could tell ``he wasn't traveling as he normally does.'' The bruise was discovered when Silver Charm returned to the barn. Baker had him jog on pavement, where discomfort would be most evident. When Baker applied a pliers-like device called a hoof hoof, horny epidermal casing at the end of the digits of an ungulate (hoofed) mammal. In the even-toed ungulates, such as swine, deer, and cattle, the hoof is cloven; in the odd-toed ungulates, such as the horse and the rhinoceros, it is solid. tester, Silver Charm recoiled. In his stall later, Silver Charm stood in hot water with Epsom salts Epsom salts, common name for magnesium sulfate heptahydrate, MgSO4·7H2O, a water-soluble bitter-tasting compound that occurs as white or colorless needle-shaped crystals. and was to be treated with a medicated medicated /med·i·cat·ed/ (med´i-kat?id) imbued with a medicinal substance. medicated contains a medicinal substance. poultice poultice /poul·tice/ (pol´tis) a soft, moist mass about the consistency of cooked cereal, spread between layers of muslin, linen, gauze, or towels and applied hot to a given area in order to create moist local heat or counterirritation. . ``It's nothing that's going to affect his skeleton or his career,'' Baker said. But letting Silver Charm run in today's 1-1/4-mile race would have been risky, Baker said. In favoring the injured foot, he might hurt something else. Stakes horses may be scratched up to an hour before the race. But Baffert said owner Bob Lewis made the decision to scratch Silver Charm Friday instead of hoping for a miracle. Foot problems are common, especially during the winter months. Moisture causes horses' hooves to expand, making them vulnerable to bruises and bacteria. Running surfaces are harder than usual because maintenance crews pack down the tracks, trying to keep rain from soaking in. Asked if the injury could have happened in Tuesday's 5-furlong workout, Baffert said he suspects the bruise had been ``brewing.'' Amid the general disappointment at Santa Anita Friday, Stevens' stood out. The regular jockey for both 4-year-old Silver Charm and 6-year-old Gentlemen, he took 2-1/2 weeks to choose which to ride in their showdown. Although most handicappers were picking Gentlemen, Stevens went for the younger horse with the more active owners and more sentimental attachment, because of Silver Charm's near-Triple Crown. When Stevens jumped, Gentlemen's trainer, Richard Mandella, announced that Day would fly in from Florida for the Big 'Cap. Now, unless Day falls off, he should easily earn the winning jockey's $60,000 share of the purse. Last year, Gentlemen won three Grade I races against older horses. His opponents today - Malek, Don't Blame Rio and Bagshot - have never run in races of that caliber. ``I am probably more disappointed than everybody else, but not a lot more,'' Stevens said. ``It's a blow to racing.'' Silver Charm could have been compared to Lucky Debonair deb·o·nair also deb·o·naire adj. 1. Suave; urbane. 2. Affable; genial. 3. Carefree and gay; jaunty. , Affirmed, Spectacular Bid and Alysheba - Kentucky Derby winners who won the Big 'Cap. Instead he's being compared to Holy Bull and Cigar - horses remembered, along with their racetrack accomplishments, for missing much-anticipated 1995 and '96 Big 'Caps with injuries. ``This is racing,'' said Santa Anita president Cliff Goodrich, who had hoped for a crowd of 40,000 but estimated the injury would reduce that by 5,000 to 10,000. ``Thank God it's minor (the injury), and for the good of racing, hopefully these two horses will meet in the future. ``It's still the Santa Anita Handicap. We're going to see one of the greatest horses in the world. Even if he is going to be 1-9.'' SANTA ANITA HANDICAP AT A GLANCE Where: Santa Anita Park Santa Anita Park is a thoroughbred racetrack in Arcadia, California, USA. It is known for offering some of the prominent racing events in the United States during the autumn and in winter. Racing at Santa Anita began in 1934. , Arcadia. When: 4:17 p.m. today, eighth race on a 10-race card starting at noon. Gates and betting windows open at 9 a.m. TV: ``Live on tape'' coverage on Fox Sports West's ``Santa Anita Today'' starts at 5:30 p.m. Purse: $1 million, $600,000 to the winner. Favorite: Gentlemen's morning line odds were sliced to 1-9 after Silver Charm was withdrawn because of a foot bruise. THE LINEUP PP Horse Weight Jockey Odds 1 Malek 115 Alex Solis 8-1 2 Gentlemen 125 Pat Day 1-9 3 Don't Blame Rio 110 Kent Desormeaux 20-1 4 Bagshot112 Corey Nakatani 10-1 CAPTION(S): Photo, 2 Boxes PHOTO (Color) Injured Silver Charm apparently didn't lose any sleep Friday over his withdrawal from today's $1 million Santa Anita Handicap. Benoit Photo / Special to the Daily News BOX: (1) SANTA ANITA HANDICAP AT A GLANCE (see text) (2) THE LINEUP (see text) |
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