Conflicted no more, I’m nothing but happy for Silver Charm

I loved watching Free House run with a passion. He was one of my all-time favorites. The look in his eye as he turned to eyeball his great rival coming down the stretch of the 1997 Preakness, is one that I can never forget.  As if to tell his adversary to bring everything he had, because he was in for the fight of his life, Free House laid it all on the line that spring afternoon in Baltimore. Never mind the two other top notch horses (Captain Bodgit and Touch Gold) on either side of them, this was all about two magnificent rivals giving their all to get to the wire first. That was the problem with Silver Charm, he all too often made it to the wire first, and I was a Free House man.

Those long white legs and those expressive eyes. It is said that the eyes are the windows to the soul, and for Free House, I knew this to be true. I always felt that he had just a little more depth to him than the average race horse. Smart and sensitive with a whole lot of heart. Surely his heart was on display for millions to see that day in the Preakness. The narrow defeat, only decided on the final jump, and then within the truth found in a photo finish picture, was hard to take. There would be no visit to the special infield winner’s circle for the good guy. The bad guy had won. Or at least that is how I felt. It was only an annoyance that most around me rejoiced in seeing the tenacious winner move within one victory of the elusive Triple Crown, for I was a Free House man.

Free House had a highly successful career. The two-time California Horse of the Year was one of the greatest Cal-breds ever to run. The homebred son of Smokester won 9 times in a 22 race career, and earned more than three million dollars. Trained by Paco Gonzalez and owned by John Toffan and Trudy McCaffery, his victories include the biggest races run in California: the Norfolk, San Felipe, Santa Anita Derby, Swaps, Bel Air, Pacific Classic, San Antonio, and the Santa Anita Handicap. Free House never once raced in an allowance race, and was a major player in one of the best crops of horses I have seen. Yet something was missing. He finished 3rd-2nd-3rd in the Triple Crown, while Silver Charm finished 1st-1st-2nd, and I was a Free House man.

Perhaps their rivalry was one of the reasons I was so fond of Free House. Great rivals make it easy to take one side or the other. Together they formed one of the greatest rivalries of modern racing. All told, they faced each other eight times, all in major stakes, which, of course included each leg of the Triple Crown. Silver Charm won four of those races and Free House won three. Only in the Belmont Stakes did another horse, Touch Gold, win a race in which they both competed. Even in that race, Silver Charm and Free House battled the majority of the stretch before Touch Gold swooped by them late with Silver Charm just missing out on a Triple Crown, and Free House, who had gone very wide throughout, a tough luck third. Once again, I found myself in the rooting minority, as most fans were heartbroken over Silver Charm losing his bid for immortality. I was heartbroken that my favorite lost again after another valiant performance, but as you know, I was a Free House man.

What a Triple Crown series Free House had run only to be defeated by Silver Charm each time. The final tally of the rivalry was Silver Charm 5 - Free House 3. I wonder when we will ever see two great horses like these ever face each other so often again. I happily watched as Free House won their final meeting in the 1999 Santa Anita Handicap. Both horses were almost done with their racing careers, and Free House finished 1st, while his rival was not too far back in 3rd. It was a great day to be a Free House man.

Sadly, Free House’s life came to a sudden, tragic end in 2004 when he injured himself severely at his farm in California. He was only ten-years-old. In his short career as a stallion, Free House was well on his way to becoming a force among California sires. His life after racing was cut way too short. To this day, not many days go by when I do not think of those long white legs, those expressive eyes, or the rivalry. A rivalry that only allowed me to root for one of the two, for I was a Free House man.

Ten years after the passing of Free House, Silver Charm’s triumphant return to the United States has been a joy to watch from afar. Rick Capone’s wonderful account of him moving into his new home at Old Friends was touching on numerous levels. Suffice it to say that Free House’s great rival will be treated like a King. He deserves it. Silver Charm was a King among horses. All these years after their many battles, I can admit that now. Silver Charm was, and is, something truly special, and today, I’m nothing but happy for him. I guess, in the end, I can also be a Silver Charm man.