Horse Racing -- Silver Charm Runs Second -- Awesome Again Needs Close To Track Record To Hold Off `Weary' Horse

LOUISVILLE - Silver Charm returned to Churchill Downs, where he won the 1997 Kentucky Derby, and suffered his first loss of the year, finishing second to Awesome Again in the $750,000 Stephen Foster Handicap yesterday.

Silver Charm was unbeaten in three starts this year but hadn't raced since winning the Dubai World Cup on March 28.

"He was a little bit short," jockey Gary Stevens said. "My horse was getting pretty weary under me."

Awesome Again, trained by Patrick Byrne and ridden by Pat Day, ran 1 1/8 miles in 1:48 3/5, one-fifth of a second off the track record.

Stevens said he had feared that Silver Charm, who won two legs of the Triple Crown last year for trainer Bob Baffert, might not be ready to run his best after so long a layoff.

"I've ridden for 20 years, and I've been in this situation more times than I can count," Stevens said. "You try to be as professional as you can. Let's just put it this way: They all get beat. Unfortunately, it's in situations like this."

Silver Charm broke cleanly from the inside post, but Stevens was content to let him run third the first time under the wire and all down the backstretch.

He made a move on the far turn, and drew even with the leaders at the top of the stretch. But Awesome Again had the stronger finish, overtaking Silver Charm and pulling away by a little more than a length in the final yards.

Awesome Again paid $13.80, $3.20 and $2.10. Silver Charm returned $2.20 and $2.10. Semoran, also trained by Baffert, paid $2.10 to show.

Notes

Bob Baffert, jockey Kent Desormeaux and Mike Pegram, owner of 1998 Kentucky Derby winner Real Quiet, were among 30 people with connections to Kentucky Derby winners who returned to Churchill Downs for the track's first Derby Alumni Day.

A crowd of more than 19,000 turned out for the festival to see Ron Turcotte, rider of Triple Crown winner Secretariat, and other riders, trainers and owners of Derby winners spanning the past five decades.

Among them, they represented 44 Derby victories.

Between races, track president Thomas Meeker presented Pegram with the engraved trophy for winning this year's Derby and thanked him "for reaching out to the entire world to show how exciting racing is."

Baffert had a 1-2 finish in the $82,500 Northern Dancer, with Shot of Gold the winner over Souvenir Copy. Pegram and Baffert teamed for a win in the third race, the maiden victory for Silverbulletday, a 2-year-old filly.

-- Subordination, formerly a grass specialist, scored his third straight front-running victory on dirt by winning the $300,000 Brooklyn Handicap at Belmont Park. Subordination, ridden by Eibar Coa, covered 1 1/8 miles in 1:46 3/5.