SILVER CHARM'S BIG CHANCE; COLT SET TO MEET SKIP AWAY IN BREEDERS' CUP.Byline: Ed Schuyler Jr. Associated Press Associated Press: see news agency. Associated Press (AP) Cooperative news agency, the oldest and largest in the U.S. and long the largest in the world. Bob Baffert's desire for the Horse of the Year Award got 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 in trouble. Now the strapping gray colt is back on his game and, the trainer thinks, back in the hunt for racing's top honor. ``I got caught up in Horse of the Year,'' the trainer said Monday in explaining Silver Charm's two losses in the wake of his sensational victory in the $4 million Dubai World Cup The Dubai World Cup is a Thoroughbred horse race held annually since 1996 at the Nad Al Sheba Racecourse in the city of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The race is operated through the Emirates Horse Racing Authority (EHRA) whose Chairman is Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, on March 28. ``I didn't follow the game plan.'' The plan was to rest 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. and Preakness winner until September Until September is a 1984 romantic drama set in France. It stars Karen Allen as an American tourist in Paris who falls in love with a married Frenchman (Thierry Lhermitte). External links , then get two races in preparation for Saturday's $4 million Breeders' Cup Classic The Breeders' Cup Classic is a Grade 1 Weight for Age thoroughbred horse race for 3 years old and older run at a distance of 1ΒΌ miles (2012 m) on dirt. It is held annually at a different racetrack in the United States or Canada as part of the Breeders' Cup. at Churchill Downs Churchill Downs, Ky.: see Louisville. . Instead, Baffert put Silver Charm into the June 13 Stephen Foster Handicap The Stephen Foster Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race run in mid June at the end of the Churchill Downs Spring Meet in Louisville, Kentucky. The Stephen Foster Handicap is run on the dirt at a distance of one and one-eighth miles. and he finished second to Awesome Again Awesome Again (born 1994) is an Canadian Hall of Fame Thoroughbred racehorse. Owned and bred by Frank Stronach of Newmarket, Ontario, Awesome Again was sired by Deputy Minister out of the 2000 Broodmare of the Year, Primal Force. . Silver Charm then ran in the July 25 San Diego Handicap The San Diego Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually at Del Mar Racetrack in Del Mar, California. The race is open to horses, age three and up, willing to race one and one-sixteenth miles on the dirt. The race carries a purse of 300,000. at Del Mar Del Mar is the name of several places in the United States of America:
The colt was kept in training and rebounded by finishing in a dead heat for first in the Sept. 26 Kentucky Cup Classic at Turfway Park and winning the Oct. 17 Goodwood Breeders' Cup Handicap The Goodwood Breeders' Cup Handicap is an American thoroughbred horse race run annually since 1982 during the Oak Tree Racing Association at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. at Santa Anita by 2-1/2 lengths over Free House. ``I think he's better right now than he was in Dubai,'' Baffert said. ``I think he's the best I've ever been.'' Good enough, if he wins, to beat Skip Away for Horse of the Year? ``I don't get to vote,'' said Baffert, adding wins in two $4 million races (Dubai and the Breeders' Cup) should carry a lot of weight. The 1-1/4-mile Classic, North America's richest horse race, will feature the long-anticipated first meeting between 4-year-old Silver Charm and 5-year-old Skip Away, who won the 1997 Breeders' Cup Classic at Hollywood Park. ``I'm glad we're getting Skip Away before he (retires),'' Baffert said. Baffert and Sonny Hine, Skip Away's trainer, have taken verbal shots at each other during the year. ``I feel bad about it,'' Baffert said. ``Sonny is a great trainer and has done a magnificent job to keep that horse going.'' Skip Away can become the first horse to earn $10 million by finishing third or better Saturday. A victory would make him the first two-time Classic winner. He had a nine-race winning streak - all stakes and seven of them this year - snapped with a third place in the Oct. 10 Jockey Club Gold Cup The Jockey Club Gold Cup, established in 1919, is a prestigious thoroughbred flat race open to horses of either gender three-years-old and up. It is typically the main event of the fall meeting at Belmont Park, just as the Belmont Stakes is of the spring meeting and the Travers on a sloppy track at Belmont Park. Skip Away was to arrive by van Tuesday from Belmont Park. Silver Charm arrived two weeks ago from his Santa Anita base, and ran a 5-furlong workout in 59 4/5 seconds at Churchill on Monday. ``Everything went smooth,'' Baffert said. ``He's doing great right now. There will be no excuses. He likes it here. I have confidence he should run a big race. He's going to show up - none of that Del Mar fiasco.'' Baffert also worked Excellent Meeting and Silverbulletday, the two early favorites for the $1 million Juvenile Fillies, one of the seven races that make up the Breeders' Cup card. Silverbulletday, winner of the Alcibiades at Keeneland in her last start, went 5 furlongs in 59 2/5, and Excellent Meeting, winner of the Del Mar Debutante and the Oak Leaf at Santa Anita in her past two starts, worked the same distance in 59 4/5. Notes: Santa Anita has scheduled two live races before the Breeders' Cup simulcasts on Saturday and five live races after. First live race: 9:25 a.m. First Breeders' Cup race: 10:25 a.m. . . . Trainer Wally Dollase said Sharp Cat was ``doing wonderful'' Monday but won't race again in 1998. The Southern California filly was the favorite for the $2 million Distaff but was withdrawn over the weekend after suffering what was described as a severe nervous reaction, apparently caused by a track siren. . . . River Bay and Dushyantor, trainer Bobby Frankel's horses for the $2 million Turf, worked together and went 6 furlongs in 1:17 on the Churchill grass. . . . Norfolk Stakes winner Buck Trout worked 6 furlongs in a slow 1:14 Sunday, but trainer Mike Harrington was happy that his candidate for the $1 million Juvenile covered the last quarter-mile in less than 24 seconds. Daily News staff contributed to this report. ON THE REBOUND Silver Charm began 1998 by winning his first three races, then stumbled a bit, finishing second and fifth. Heading into the Breeder's Cup Classic on Nov. 19, he is on track again, winning his last two races. A look at the 4-year-old's races this year: Date Race Finish 10/17/98 Goodwood Breeder's Cup (1) 1 9/26/98 Kentucky Cup Classic 1 7/25/98 San Diego Handicap (3) 5 6/13/98 Stephen Foster Handicap 2 3/28/98 Dubai World Cup (2) 1 2/7/98 Strub Stakes (1) 1 1/17/98 San Fernando B.C. Stakes (1) 1 (1) at Santa Anita (2) $4 million purse (3) first time in career with a finish below 2nd CAPTION(S): 2 Photos, Box PHOTO (1--Color) Silver Charm, left, ridden by Gary Stevens, crosses the finish line to win the $538,000 Goodwood Breeders' Cup last month at Santa Anita. Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press (2) ``He's doing great right now. There will be no excuses. He likes it here. I have confidence he should run a big race.'' - Bob Baffert Silver Charm's trainer BOX: ON THE REBOUND (see text) |
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