Turning the page: Silver Charm's Last Runners Retired
Feb 16, 2014 23:07:59 GMT -5
Post by racinggal on Feb 16, 2014 23:07:59 GMT -5
I always liked Silver Charm. He was one of my favorites, just like these wonderful ladies, Sandy Hatfield and Judy Behler. I thought this was a nice story to share with everyone. I'm sure many of you saw Silver Charm race.
Turning the page
Two relatively unknown 13-year-olds are starting new chapters in their lives
By Amanda Duckworth
NYBreds.com
More than a decade ago, I entered a group of horses into my Virtual Stable account with
Equibase. They all had one thing in common: they were from Silver Charm's first crop of foals.
Back then, finding information wasn't quite as easy as it is today, and I picked through trade
publications and sales catalogs to gather the names.
Years came, years went, and slowly but surely, I began getting fewer and fewer notifications. A
lot changes in the span of 11 years. Not only did I pretty much stop using that AOL account, but
I became a turf writer, Silver Charm relocated to Japan, and almost all of those first foals retired.
There were two names, though, that kept popping into my old inbox, which meant I kept
checking it: Silver Indy and Rat Like Cunning. Both geldings were born in 2001, both are gray,
and combined they have made 184 starts.
Rat Like Cunning has run 91 times and has a record of 13-8-4 with earnings of $123,066. Silver
Indy has run 93 times and has a record of 8-14 -9 with earnings of $139,954. Silver Indy ran on
Jan. 11, while Rat Like Cunning last started on Dec. 17.
Another thing the 13-year-olds have in common is that as of last week, both warriors of the
claiming ranks have officially been retired.
Given my not so secret love of Silver Charm, the folks behind both retirements let me know, and
finding out the news brought a smile to my face. But why write about it? Because while neither
of them are horses that the general public would know or care about, they show a side of racing
that often doesn't get the credit it deserves.
I know not all horses end up in the best situations at the end of their careers, but I also think it is
important to give praise to people who do the right thing.
More than that, it turns out both of these horses were loved by the people who crossed their paths
through the years. It's not just the champions who wiggle into the hearts of horsemen and
women.
So here is how two racehorses linked by only their pedigree started on the next phase of their
lives:
When Silver Indy ran in January, the race notification caught the attention of the folks at Three
Chimneys, where Silver Charm had begun his stallion career. The farm's stallion manager, Sandy
Hatfield, always had a soft spot for the 1997 Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner, and
wondered if this son of his needed a home when his racing days were through.
Enter Silver Indy's co-owner and trainer, Judy Behler. Silver Indy, who picked up the nickname
Grandpa, became part of her stable when he was 6-years-old, meaning he spent more time with
her in his life than anyone else. It also turns out, he was definitely the barn pet.
“Once he joined our barn, it didn't take him a long time to figure out that there are goodies in our
pockets, that the peppermint crinkle sound is the best thing in the world, and that the carrots will
be coming.” -- Judy Behler, trainer Silver Indy
"He is quite a character," said Behler. "Once he joined our barn, it didn't take him a long time to
figure out that there are goodies in our pockets, that the peppermint crinkle sound is the best
thing in the world, and that the carrots will be coming.
"Every year when we would get back to the Fair Grounds, exercise riders would come by and
ask if Grandpa was still with me. He is very professional, and he is all about the game. He was
sound, liked being a racehorse, and I have protected him like he is a stakes horses."
That said, Behler also always wants to find good homes for her horses and saw this as an
unmistakable chance for her barn pet to have a wonderful second career.
"As long as he wanted to train, we were going to keep going this year, but when this opportunity
arose for him, I said we are done," she said. "I took him off his high protein feeds, and I began
letting him down slowly. I am so excited about it. He is the coolest horse, and I am sure Sandy is
going to have lots of fresh stories for me. Now it is time for him to have a new adventure in life."
When the horse transportation company Brook Ledge heard about Silver Indy's retirement, they
offered to ship him to Kentucky for free. Last week, the gelding arrived in the Bluegrass to begin
his next chapter, and Hatfield could not be more pleased to have him.
Before Grandpa left his home in Louisiana, old friends stopped by, including one of his hot
walkers, who had a giant purse full of peppermints. They wanted to send him off with a few
sweet treats. One thing they won't have to worry about is if Silver Indy has ended up in a good
home.
"I have always wanted a Silver Charm offspring," said Hatfield. "I think Silver Charm was one
of the coolest horses ever -- he had such a special quality about him. When it looked like Silver
Indy's owners might want to find him a new job, I started really thinking about 'me' as an option
for him. Now it seemed like it was meant to be."
Silver Indy is currently getting accustomed to his new surroundings. Eventually, Hatfield plans
to take him out on trail rides, but for now making sure he is enjoying life while they get to know
each other is her top priority.
"He is doing fantastic," she said. "He is in great condition, clean legged, sound, happy and
healthy. I have him at a friend's farm. Right now he is going out in a paddock alone, but they
have also have a retired gelding so in the near future we will get them out together. I think his
future looks bright."
With Silver Indy well on his way to a happy retirement, it brought up questions of Rat Like
Cunning. A few phones calls were placed, and his trainer, Sheryl Schuette, confirmed that the
gelding was still in training.
However, a few discussions later, the horse's owner, Robert Glick, thought donating the horse to
New Vocations would be a proper and fitting retirement.
Rat Like Cunning was accepted at New Vocations, which provides a peaceful environment and
skilled hands to assist horses transitioning from racehorse to pleasure horse. In time, he will be
offered up for adoption to the right home.
"For now, he will just be settling in," said Anna Ford, New Vocation's thoroughbred program
director. "We will get him acclimated to turn out, get his diet adjusted, find him a buddy and
monitor his soundness. His legs look amazingly clean for the amount of starts that he has had. I
am pretty optimistic there are no major issues."
Once Rat Like Cunning has adjusted to retirement, he will be worked under saddle to see what
his strong suits are and what kind of home will be best for him going forward
Courtesy Sandy Hatfield
Recently retired, Silver Indy will start a new career with Three Chimneys' Sandy Hatfield.
Turning the page
Two relatively unknown 13-year-olds are starting new chapters in their lives
By Amanda Duckworth
NYBreds.com
More than a decade ago, I entered a group of horses into my Virtual Stable account with
Equibase. They all had one thing in common: they were from Silver Charm's first crop of foals.
Back then, finding information wasn't quite as easy as it is today, and I picked through trade
publications and sales catalogs to gather the names.
Years came, years went, and slowly but surely, I began getting fewer and fewer notifications. A
lot changes in the span of 11 years. Not only did I pretty much stop using that AOL account, but
I became a turf writer, Silver Charm relocated to Japan, and almost all of those first foals retired.
There were two names, though, that kept popping into my old inbox, which meant I kept
checking it: Silver Indy and Rat Like Cunning. Both geldings were born in 2001, both are gray,
and combined they have made 184 starts.
Rat Like Cunning has run 91 times and has a record of 13-8-4 with earnings of $123,066. Silver
Indy has run 93 times and has a record of 8-14 -9 with earnings of $139,954. Silver Indy ran on
Jan. 11, while Rat Like Cunning last started on Dec. 17.
Another thing the 13-year-olds have in common is that as of last week, both warriors of the
claiming ranks have officially been retired.
Given my not so secret love of Silver Charm, the folks behind both retirements let me know, and
finding out the news brought a smile to my face. But why write about it? Because while neither
of them are horses that the general public would know or care about, they show a side of racing
that often doesn't get the credit it deserves.
I know not all horses end up in the best situations at the end of their careers, but I also think it is
important to give praise to people who do the right thing.
More than that, it turns out both of these horses were loved by the people who crossed their paths
through the years. It's not just the champions who wiggle into the hearts of horsemen and
women.
So here is how two racehorses linked by only their pedigree started on the next phase of their
lives:
When Silver Indy ran in January, the race notification caught the attention of the folks at Three
Chimneys, where Silver Charm had begun his stallion career. The farm's stallion manager, Sandy
Hatfield, always had a soft spot for the 1997 Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner, and
wondered if this son of his needed a home when his racing days were through.
Enter Silver Indy's co-owner and trainer, Judy Behler. Silver Indy, who picked up the nickname
Grandpa, became part of her stable when he was 6-years-old, meaning he spent more time with
her in his life than anyone else. It also turns out, he was definitely the barn pet.
“Once he joined our barn, it didn't take him a long time to figure out that there are goodies in our
pockets, that the peppermint crinkle sound is the best thing in the world, and that the carrots will
be coming.” -- Judy Behler, trainer Silver Indy
"He is quite a character," said Behler. "Once he joined our barn, it didn't take him a long time to
figure out that there are goodies in our pockets, that the peppermint crinkle sound is the best
thing in the world, and that the carrots will be coming.
"Every year when we would get back to the Fair Grounds, exercise riders would come by and
ask if Grandpa was still with me. He is very professional, and he is all about the game. He was
sound, liked being a racehorse, and I have protected him like he is a stakes horses."
That said, Behler also always wants to find good homes for her horses and saw this as an
unmistakable chance for her barn pet to have a wonderful second career.
"As long as he wanted to train, we were going to keep going this year, but when this opportunity
arose for him, I said we are done," she said. "I took him off his high protein feeds, and I began
letting him down slowly. I am so excited about it. He is the coolest horse, and I am sure Sandy is
going to have lots of fresh stories for me. Now it is time for him to have a new adventure in life."
When the horse transportation company Brook Ledge heard about Silver Indy's retirement, they
offered to ship him to Kentucky for free. Last week, the gelding arrived in the Bluegrass to begin
his next chapter, and Hatfield could not be more pleased to have him.
Before Grandpa left his home in Louisiana, old friends stopped by, including one of his hot
walkers, who had a giant purse full of peppermints. They wanted to send him off with a few
sweet treats. One thing they won't have to worry about is if Silver Indy has ended up in a good
home.
"I have always wanted a Silver Charm offspring," said Hatfield. "I think Silver Charm was one
of the coolest horses ever -- he had such a special quality about him. When it looked like Silver
Indy's owners might want to find him a new job, I started really thinking about 'me' as an option
for him. Now it seemed like it was meant to be."
Silver Indy is currently getting accustomed to his new surroundings. Eventually, Hatfield plans
to take him out on trail rides, but for now making sure he is enjoying life while they get to know
each other is her top priority.
"He is doing fantastic," she said. "He is in great condition, clean legged, sound, happy and
healthy. I have him at a friend's farm. Right now he is going out in a paddock alone, but they
have also have a retired gelding so in the near future we will get them out together. I think his
future looks bright."
With Silver Indy well on his way to a happy retirement, it brought up questions of Rat Like
Cunning. A few phones calls were placed, and his trainer, Sheryl Schuette, confirmed that the
gelding was still in training.
However, a few discussions later, the horse's owner, Robert Glick, thought donating the horse to
New Vocations would be a proper and fitting retirement.
Rat Like Cunning was accepted at New Vocations, which provides a peaceful environment and
skilled hands to assist horses transitioning from racehorse to pleasure horse. In time, he will be
offered up for adoption to the right home.
"For now, he will just be settling in," said Anna Ford, New Vocation's thoroughbred program
director. "We will get him acclimated to turn out, get his diet adjusted, find him a buddy and
monitor his soundness. His legs look amazingly clean for the amount of starts that he has had. I
am pretty optimistic there are no major issues."
Once Rat Like Cunning has adjusted to retirement, he will be worked under saddle to see what
his strong suits are and what kind of home will be best for him going forward
Courtesy Sandy Hatfield
Recently retired, Silver Indy will start a new career with Three Chimneys' Sandy Hatfield.
