Stakes Higher for Silver Charm

When Blood-Horse magazine recently published a list of the 100 greatest horses of the 20th century, trainer Bob Baffert got hot.

Leaping off the page, in 63rd place, was the name of Silver Charm.

“What were those guys thinking?” Baffert fumed. “Sixty-third? Come on. Silver Charm deserves to be at least in the top 30.”

It’s too late for a Blood-Horse recount, but if Silver Charm is to regain some of the prestige that has slipped away since his 3-year-old campaign, the perfect time would be Sunday in the $5-million Dubai World Cup. Silver Charm won the race last year, and another victory at the desert track in the United Arab Emirates would be a unique hallmark. Because of the distance--almost 9,000 miles from Los Angeles--not many U.S. horses are likely to even run twice in Dubai.

Silver Charm keeps winning races, he keeps plugging away even when he’s beaten, and he has drawn a bead on Cigar’s earnings record. But since the 1997 Triple Crown, his major victories have been scarce. In fact, since he won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, Silver Charm scored his only victory in a Grade I race last year in Dubai. His post-Preakness Grade I record looks like this:

* 1997 Belmont Stakes--second to Touch Gold.

* 1997 Malibu--second to Lord Grillo.

* 1998 Breeders’ Cup Classic--second to Awesome Again.

* 1999 Donn Handicap--third behind Puerto Madero and Behrens.

* 1999 Santa Anita Handicap--third behind Free House and Event Of The Year.

Now Silver Charm must win in Dubai or will have lost three in a row for the first time in his career.

Bob and Beverly Lewis’ gray 5-year-old seems to have traveled to the Persian Gulf better than he did last year, when it took him a few days to catch his breath, but the eight-horse field is stacked with spoilers. Among them are Victory Gallop, who botched Baffert’s Belmont last year when he cost Real Quiet the Triple Crown, and Malek, the 1998 Santa Anita Handicap winner who was withheld from this year’s Big ‘Cap so his trainer, Richard Mandella, would have a fresh horse for Dubai.

Mandella has threatened in the three other World Cups--second with Soul Of The Matter in 1996, second and third with Siphon and Sandpit in 1997, and fourth last year with Malek--and one of these years he’s going to get it exactly right.

Besides his American rivals, Silver Charm must also beat a quartet of house horses--those that run for Sheik Mohammed, the crown prince of Dubai and founder of the race.

After Cigar won the inaugural World Cup in 1996, the sheik won the race with Singspiel in 1997 and then he just missed with Swain against Silver Charm last year. This year, he has assembled half the field in High-Rise, winner of last year’s Epsom Derby; Daylami, who has won major races in France, England and the U.S.; Italian Derby winner Central Park, and Almutawakel, who beat Central Park and Daylami in a recent trial race in Dubai.

Besides the three U.S. and four Dubai horses, the only other entrant in the 1 1/4-mile race is Running Stag, an English longshot who has won only three of 24 races.

Baffert has been in Dubai this week, supervising Silver Charm’s final preparations, but he won’t stay for the race. Eoin Harty, his assistant, will saddle Silver Charm after Baffert takes three planes--among them a Concorde and a private jet--to reach Turfway Park in Florence, Ky., today for Straight Man’s appearance in the $750,000 Gallery Furniture Stakes, one of the preps for the Kentucky Derby. Like Silver Charm, Straight Man runs for the Lewises.

Horse Racing Notes

Although the Gallery Furniture--formerly the Jim Beam--is only his third race and his first stakes start, undefeated Straight Man is the 8-5 favorite on the morning line. Others running are K One King, who’s 3-1, and Lethal Instrument, who’s 7-2 after finishing half a length short of Straight Man at Santa Anita. . . . Parson’s Den, driven by Rick Kuebler, was a one-length winner of the opening half of the second leg of the Arnold Pacing Series on Friday night at Los Alamitos. Laagin, driven by paraplegic O.J. Waddell, was fourth early before finishing last in the six-horse field.