Tag Archives: Silver Charm

Community/Charity, Racing

Dual-Classic Winner Silver Charm Celebrates 25th Birthday at Old Friends

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Silver Charm at Old Friends (Photo: Laura Battles ©)

GEORGETOWN, KY – FEBRUARY 14, 2019 – Dual-classic winner and racing Hall of Famer Silver Charm will turn 25 on Friday February 22nd at Old Friends, the Thoroughbred Retirement facility in Georgetown, KY.

The farm is inviting fans to help celebrate this milestone with a birthday-card contest and an open-house Birthday Bash.

Fans are invited to submit an original greeting card, created on paper or in a digital format, wishing Silver Charm a happy 25th. Deadline for card entries is Thursday Feb. 21.

The best design — judged by a panel of Old Friends staff — will receive a matted and autographed color photo of Silver Charm by Eclipse Award-winning photographer Barbara Livingston.

Card entries will be displayed and the winner announced at Silver Charm’s birthday party at Old Friends’ Georgetown farm, located at 1841 Paynes Depot Rd, on Friday February 22nd from 1 pm – 4 pm.

Guests will receive gift bags (while supplies last), fun giveaways, and enjoy a “soup-of-the-day” lunch, with piping hot selections from several local eateries, including:

Local Feed, the seasonal kitchen and craft bar located in Georgetown. Local Feed is known for its farm-to-table concept, great bourbon list, and craft cocktails.

Josie’s, a comfortable, inviting neighborhood cafe in Georgetown from the owners of the Merrick Inn. Josie’s offers “the best breakfast in town,” as well as an extensive lunch and dinner menu of tasty southern fare.

Galvin’s, the family owned sports bar and bistro in downtown Georgetown, offers a vast menu of favorites as well as 40 taps featuring Kentucky’s local brews.

Wallace Station, the homey pit stop in Versailles from renowned chef Ouita Michels. Wallace Station features an irresistible menu of homemade soups, sandwiches, salads, and bakery items.

Silver Charm won the 1997 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes and the 1998 Dubai World Cup. He was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 2007, and stood stud at Three Chimney’s farm before relocating to Japan.

Silver Charm was repatriated to the United States and pensioned at Old Friends in 2014.

The Silver Charm Birthday party is free and open to the public.

For more information, please call (502) 863-1775 or visit the website at www.oldfriendsequine.org.

MEDIA CONTACT: Cynthia Grisolia, (347) 423-7322, cindy@oldfriendsequine.org; Michael Blowen (502) 863-1775, michael@oldfriendsequine.org

Art/Photography, Community/Charity

Enter Silver Charm’s Silver Anniversary Card Challenge

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Photo by Rick Capone.

It’s Silver Charm’s Silver Jubilee

On February 22nd dual-classic winner Silver Charm will turn 25, and we’d like you to help Old Friends celebrate this special milestone.

Silver Charm doesn’t care much for traditional gifts – shiny bling or etched keepsakes. But what better way to say Happy Birthday to a Hall of Famer than with a personalized greeting card?

Because we know all of his fans out there care enough to send the very best, we’re launching the Silver Charm Birthday Card Challenge!

Get out your construction paper, colored markers, Crayolas, finger paints, Black & Decker, or whatever artistic medium suits you best and create a birthday card befitting a Kentucky Derby Champion.

We will accept physical cards or those created in a digital format. A panel of Old Friends judges will award the best card in each category with an autographed picture of Silver Charm by Eclipse Award-winning photographer Barbara Livingston.

Entries will be displayed and winners named at a special celebratory event at Old Friends Farm in Georgetown on Friday February 22nd from 1-4 pm.

The public is welcome to come and celebrate this very Silver Anniversary with us. Food and beverages will be served.

For more information: (502) 863-1775; www.oldfriendsequine.org

Competitions, Racing

FTBOA Silver Charm Florida Sire Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs

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Silver Charm in retirement at Old Friends (Photo: Rick Capone)

GEORGETOWN, KY – APRIL 26, 2018 – On Saturday May 5, the Florida Thoroughbred Owners’ and Breeders’ Association will present the inaugural “$100,000 FTOBA Silver Charm Florida Sire Stakes” at Tampa Bay Downs.

The race will celebrate the 1997 Kentucky Derby/Preakness champion and Hall of Fame inductee (2007).

Silver Charm, 24, was returned to the United States from stud duty in Japan in 2014 and is now pensioned at Old Friends, the non-profit Thoroughbred Retirement facility base in Georgetown, KY.

The $100,000 FTBOA Silver Charm Stakes, for three-year-old colts and geldings, will be run on the main track at a distance of a mile and 40 yards. The race is a “Win & You’re In” opportunity, with the victor earning retirement at Old Friends when his racing career is over.

The Silver Charm Stakes is the third of a four-part “Florida Sire Stakes” series offered by Tampa Bay Downs and the FTBOA that launched in December 2017. The events will offer $450,000 in purse money to FTBOA-registered Florida-bred horses sired by FTBOA-registered stallions that are Florida Sire Stakes-eligible.

“Silver Charm is a legendary Florida-bred, and naming a prestigious race in his honor was important to do,” said Lonny Powell, FTBOA CEO. “Silver Charm represents one of the 52 Florida-breds who have been honored as national champions. The well-traveled horse has a dedicated fan base worldwide that continues to grow as the next generation is introduced to him,” added Powell. “FTBOA thanks Old Friends for being a part of this special historic day.”

As part of the celebration, the FTBOA Museum and Gallery, located at 801 SW 60th Avenue in Ocala, FL, will honor Silver Charm with an art exhibition that opens Friday, May 4 at 2:30 p.m. The exhibit will run through the end of May.

In addition, Old Friends will feature race handicapping from Silver Charm himself along all of their social media platforms on Friday May 4 and Saturday May 5, and on race day, a representative from the farm will present the owners of all of the entries with a special gift bag.

Bred in Florida by Mary Lou Wootton, Silver Charm (Silver Buck – Bonnie’s Poker, by Poker), is considered one of the best horses of his generation. Campaigned by Robert and Beverly Lewis and trained by Bob Baffert, Silver Charm broke his maiden as a 2-year-old and captured his first stakes a few weeks later in the GR2 Del Mar Futurity.

Silver Charm captured the 1997 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, and was poised to become the sport’s 12th Triple Crown winner, but he was beat at the wire by Touch Gold in the Belmont Stakes.

As a 4-year-old Silver Charm added the GR2 San Fernando Breeders’ Cup Stakes and the GR2 Strub Stakes to his resume before winning the 1998 Dubai World Cup. The stallion retired from racing in 1999 after 24 lifetime starts and12 wins, with career earnings of over $6.9 million.

Silver Charm was sold to Japan in 2004, but was returned to the U.S. by his owners, the Lewis Family, and Three Chimneys Farm in Kentucky.

Old Friends is a non-profit organization that cares for more than 175 horses whose racing and/or breeding careers came to an end. The farm is open to the public daily, offering guided tours to meet such stars of the turf as Kentucky Derby/Preakness winner War Emblem, Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Alphabet Soup, and three-time Santa Anita Handicap star Game On Dude.

As one of the most famous retirees at Old Friends, Silver Charm, has become a significant ambassador for horse racing, meeting and greeting fans daily who are thrilled to re-live his exciting Triple Crown campaign.

“No horse deserves to be honored with an eponymous stakes more than Silver Charm,” said Old Friends President and founder Michael Blowen. “There is no doubt he has brought great credence and great pride to the Florida breeding program, and there is no question that he’s an exceptional champion that has given so much to the sport — even in retirement,” he added. “We are very grateful to the FTBOA and Tampa Bay Downs for this tribute.”

Old Friends is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization that cares for more than 175 retired racehorses. Its Dream Chase Farm, located in Georgetown, KY, is open to tourists daily by appointment. Old Friends also has a satellite facility in Greenfield Center, New York, Old Friends at Cabin Creek: The Bobby Frankel Division, which is also open to visitors. For more information on tours or to make a donation, contact the main farm at (502) 863-1775 or see their website at www.oldfriendsequine.org.

MEDIA CONTACT: Cynthia Grisolia, (502) 863-1775, cindy@oldfriendsequine.org; or Barbara Fossum, (502) 863-1775, barbara@oldfriendsequine.org

Art/Photography, Community/Charity

Silver Charm Portrait by Barbara Livingston Now Available

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Dual Classic winner Silver Charm on the day of the barn fire at Old Friends (Photo by Barbara Livingston)

GEORGETOWN, KY – MARCH 11, 2016 – Old Friends, the Thoroughbred Retirement Facility in Georgetown, KY, in conjunction with Daily Racing Form and photographer Barbara Livingston, is proud to offer for sale an exclusive, limited-edition portrait of dual-classic winner Silver Charm.

The image of the now retired Kentucky Derby and Preakness champion galloping in freshly fallen snow was captured by Eclipse-Award-winning photographer Barbara Livingston at Old Friends’ Dream Chase in January, on the day a devastating fire destroyed one of their barns.

When news of the fire got out, many friends and supporters stopped by Old Friends to offer support and well wishes. Among them was Livingston, who came to officially record the tragedy with her camera. But while she was there she noticed Silver Charm running joyfully, and she quickly captured this stark but stunning image.

After Livingston shared the picture on her social media, it went viral and soon became one of the most requested Old Friends photos ever. Daily Racing Form editors worked with Livingston and Old Friends to make available this limited-edition 8 x 10 portrait (only 250 have been produced), each signed by the artist.

“On a dim, smoke-filled afternoon Barbara was able to see a beautiful ray of silver light,” said Old Friends founder and President Michael Blowen. “This photograph is not only a testament to her enormous talent, but I also like to think of it as a forecast of our future: Hopeful.

“We can’t thank Barbara and our friends at DRF enough for helping us share this wonderful picture of the great Silver Charm with his fans.”

The photographs are available for $50, plus $3.00 shipping and handling, and can be ordered by visiting the Old Friends eBay store (CLICK HERE) or by visiting the Old Friends website (www.oldfriendsequine.org) and following the eBay link.

All proceeds from the sale of the photo will go to Old Friends and will contribute to barn rebuilding efforts.

Old Friends is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization that cares for 160 retired racehorses. Its Dream Chase Farm, located in Georgetown, KY, is open to tourists daily by appointment. Old Friends also has a satellite facility in Greenfield Center, New York, Old Friends at Cabin Creek: The Bobby Frankel Division, which is also open to visitors. For more information on tours or to make a donation, contact the main farm at (502) 863-1775 or see their website at www.oldfriendsequine.org.

MEDIA CONTACT: Cynthia Grisolia, (347) 423-7322, cindy@oldfriendsequine.org; Michael Blowen, (502) 863-1775, michael@oldfriendsequine.org

Auctions, Community/Charity, Racing

Top Jocks and Their Kids Pose for the 7th Annual “Hats Off to the Horses: The Road to the Derby”

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Rosie Napravnik, Joe Sharp, and baby Carson with Kentucky Derby winner Silver Charm (Photo by EquiSport)

Proceeds from the online fashion auction to benefit Old Friends Thoroughbred Retirement Facility

GEORGETOWN, KY – NOVEMBER 4, 2015 – For the third consecutive year, jockey Rosie Napravnik will model handcrafted, one-of-a-kind Kentucky Derby chapeaus to support the 7th Annual “Hats Off to the Horses: The Road to the Derby,” an online fashion auction that raises money for Old Friends, the Thoroughbred Retirement Facility in Georgetown, KY.

This seventh season, however, was a family affair. Napravnik posed with her husband, trainer Joe Sharp, and their new baby Carson. Joining them were leading rider Julien Leparoux, who posed with his wife Shea and their son Mitchell, and top jock Brian Hernandez, who posed with his wife Jamie and their daughter Joshlyn.

This is the seventh year that Old Friends has joined with acclaimed milliner Sally Faith Steinmann of the Massachusetts-based Maggie Mae Designs® to auction off six exclusive Kentucky Derby hats between November and April, each inspired by one of the non-profit organization’s 156 retired racehorses.

To date, this unique fundraiser has earned over $23,000 for Old Friends.

The six couture hats that will go on the block the first of every month between now and the 2016 running of the Kentucky Derby on the first Saturday in May.

The fashion auction kicked off November 1st with Napravnik and Sharp showcasing the “The Silver Charm,” a design inspired by the 1997 Kentucky Derby Champion who is now retired at Old Friends.

To view the hat, visit http://www.maggiemae.com/OldFriendsAuction-Horse-SilverCharm.htm.

Bidding on “The Silver Charm” began at 8 pm on November 1st and will be open for 10 days only, until 8 pm on November 11th. Interested bidders can go to the Old Friends website at www.oldfriendsequine.org and follow the link. Or click this link: http://www.oldfriendsequine.org/hats-current.html.

SilverCharm2The photo shoots for each hat, done by EquiSport Photographers Matt and Wendy Wooley, took place this fall at Old Friends and matches Steinmann’s beautiful hats with ensembles from Lexington’s Bella Rose Boutique.

For a video of the EquiSport photo shoot, visit http://vimeo.com/143786158.

Rosie Napravnik has been one of the most successful and influential women in the Sport of Kings. In 2012 she became the first woman to win the Kentucky Oaks, a feat she repeated in 2014. Napravnik, who retired from riding last year to begin a family with husband Sharp, also sits on the Old Friends Board of Directors.

Eclipse-Awarding winning Julien Leparoux is also one of horseracing’s leading jockeys. The France-born rider has earned titles at Churchill, Keeneland and at Turfway Park. In 2015 he won the Breeders’ Cup Mile aboard Tepin.

Brian Hernandez was an Eclipse Award winning apprentice in 2004. He has over 1,000 wins to his credit, including the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic aboard Fort Larned in 2012.

About Silver Charm

In 1997 Silver Charm won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes for trainer Bob Baffert and jockey Gary Stevens. The dual-classic wins helped him capture that year’s Eclipse Award as Champion Three Year Old Male. He went on to win the 1998 Dubai World Cup and, with nearly $7 million in career earnings, he was inducted in Racing Hall of Fame in 2007. After 10 years in Japan, Silver Charm retired to Old Friends in 2014.

About the Silver Charm Hat

The wide-brimmed “Silver Charm” hat features three varying shades of gray and white silk organza at its base. It is adorned with a single rose curl sculpted out of alternating layers of deep yellow dupioni silk and yellow silk organza, which reflect the stallion’s famous racing colors. A fancy charcoal braiding was top stitched to the ruffled-brim edges and along the under brim for a lovely finishing touch, while several free form bow loops, created out of gray veiling, adds just a hint of wispy elegance.

Dozens of long slender gray, white and charcoal silk organza feathers, a Maggie Mae Designs® trademark, were also carefully stitched, layered and shaped to frame the face beautifully when the hat is worn.

For additional information, contact Maggie Mae Designs® at sally@maggiemae.com.

Maggie Mae Designs® Custom Millinery offers magnificent hats for all occasions – from glamorous racing events such as the Kentucky Derby and the Royal Ascot to stunning bridal wear and handsome cocktail fashions. Every hat is carefully handcrafted by milliner Sally Faith Steinmann from her home base in South Harwich, MA. Salons of her fashions can be seen on her website at www.maggiemaedesigns.com.

About Old Friends
Old Friends is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization that cares for 156 retired racehorses. Its Dream Chase Farm, located in Georgetown, KY, is open to tourists daily by appointment. Old Friends also has a satellite facility in Greenfield Center, New York, Old Friends at Cabin Creek: The Bobby Frankel Division, which is also open to visitors. For more information on tours or to make a donation, contact the main farm at (502) 863-1775 or see their website at www.oldfriendsequine.org.