by K. T. Donovan

Anticipation filled the air on opening day at Santa Anita Park, December 26, 1997. Silver Charm, the tough gray colt who thrilled fans earlier this year by winning the Kentucky Derby (Gr. I) and Preakness Stakes (Gr. I), had been resting since narrowly missing winning the Belmont Stakes (Gr. I) in June. A half-length short of a Triple Crown winner, Silver Charm had kept people buzzing about his eventual return to the races for months. When trainer Bob Baffert announced that Silver Charm would run in the $200,000 Malibu Stakes (Gr. I) on Santa Anita's opening day, the eyes of the racing world turned to the beautiful track in Southern California, anxious to see if he still had the magic from Spring. The Strub Series would be the optimum way to bring Silver Charm back before his fans. The Series consists of the Malibu at seven furlongs, the San Fernando Stakes (Gr. II) at 1 1/16 miles, and the Strub Stakes (Gr. II) at 1 1/8 miles, all three weeks apart and restricted to 3-year-olds turning four.

"He's bright and on his toes right now," Silver Charm's trainer, Bob Baffert said. "He's such a courageous horse, even if he isn't totally fit, he can get the rest of the job done himself. He's a very deceiving horse. Every time I ran him last year and I thought he wasn't fully cranked up, he'd still win."

Silver Charm would not be facing the challengers that made his performances so electrifying many months ago. Kentucky Derby favorite Captain Bodgit, who had run Silver Charm down in the stretch of the Derby and forced the Charm to go all out to win by a diminishing head, had retired after a similarly stirring Preakness. Free House, who beat Silver Charm in the Santa Anita Derby, had run impressively after finishing third in the Derby, second in the Preakness, and third in the Belmont. Free House had won the Swaps Stakes, but then he, too, needed a rest after finishing last in the Super Derby (Gr. I). Silver Charm will not face his old rival until later on in the year. And Touch Gold, the spoiler who beat Silver Charm in the Belmont, had won the Haskell Invitational (Gr. I) before finishing last in two more races, including the Breeders' Cup Classic (Gr. I). He will not return until sometime in the late spring.

Not everyone was tired, sore and needing a break, however. Silver Charm faced a full field of 3-year-olds that were not scared off by his impressive works the last couple of months. Many believed that Touch Gold was the real star of this 3-year-old crop. Others felt that all those hard-won races and then a six-month layoff after running a fever in June indicated that Silver Charm was not at his best. Still others had some late-developing horses now ready to throw at the Derby winner as a test of their ability. All in all, with two late scratches, eight colts went to the post for the first leg of the Strub Series, all attempting to show that they were ready to become 4-year-olds and take on the handicap division in a few months.

The crowd swelled to 39,683 as people rushed to Santa Anita to see Silver Charm's return to the races. The attendance heralded the largest opening day for the track since 1994.

"I feel pretty good about him," Baffert said as post time approached. "I think he'll make a good account of himself. We're going to run to win in the Strub Series, but our main objective is to win the Santa Anita Handicap (Gr. I)."

In the post parade, Crypto Star, who also had been resting since the Belmont, looked ready to try his rival again. Swiss Yodeler and Mud Route, both well respected as 2-year-olds before having to sit out the Classics with injuries, danced with eagerness. Sprinter Apalachee Ridge harbored no hopes of taking the other two legs of the Strub Series, but had a good shot at this one because of the shorter distance. Lord Grillo, an Argentinean import, looked comfortably wound up in the post parade. He is six months younger than North American 3-year-olds, but had won the Argentinean equivalent of the Breeders' Cup Classic, and his trainer Mike Puype wanted to test him against the top 3-year-olds running.

Silver Charm was calm in the post parade, and entered the gate in a professional manner. He seemed above all the hoopla surrounding his return. Only the crowd was tense. The gates burst open and months of waiting came to an end and the new season began.

Silver Charm dropped back into fifth shortly out of the break, letting Swiss Yodeler, Apalachee Ridge and Mud Route battle it out on the front end. He remained only three lengths off the leaders until the far turn, when jockey Gary Stevens tried desperately to find some room behind a wall of horses. Silver Charm was ready, but where to go? As the field came out of the turn, Silver Charm broke through between Swiss Yodeler on the rail and Mud Route on the outside. With a burst of speed, Silver Charm pushed ahead of both horses, dueling with a game Swiss Yodeler on his inside. He never saw Lord Grillo coming. The Argentinean powered down the stretch on the far outside, his jockey Eddie Delahoussaye using the same tactics that had kept Touch Gold out of Silver Charm's radar until it was too late in the Belmont. When Silver Charm saw the colt, he pinned his ears, flattened out his neck, and dug down for more. With a determined effort, he cut into Lord Grillo's lead, trying to match the momentum of the bay colt rushing past him. The trouble he had encountered on the turn prevented him from getting close enough in time, but he shortened the distance between them to a head before hitting the wire in full stride.

Lord Grillo won in time 1:21.46, and turned heads as to his ability when the races stretch out. Swiss Yodeler held on to third, three lengths behind Silver Charm and two lengths ahead of Mud Route. The rest of the field finished as follows: Crypto Star, Apalachee Ridge, Emailit, Trafalgar, and Latin Dancer.

Silver Charm, while not winning, did everything but. His fans were pleased with the gutsiness of his performance, given the traffic problems and his long layoff. Obviously, time off has not dimmed the colt's competitive desire. He proved that he would be a tough opponent for the colts now waiting in the wings to challenge him as a 4-year-old.

"It was nothing for him," Baffert said, noting how well Silver Charm came out of the race. "I could run him back next week. Like Gary Stevens said, he really only ran an eighth of a mile."

Stevens believes that Silver Charm has what it takes to be a star among the top handicap horses in 1998. "He comes from the best crop of 3-year-olds I've ever seen," said the Hall of Fame rider.