the stretch

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Bob Lewis, the 72-year-old owner of Silver Charm, hopes the gray colt will help him rewrite his epitaph. Silver Charm is one victory from the Triple Crown after a gut-wrenching stretch duel with Free House and Captain Bodgit yesterday in the Preakness. After Silver Charm won the Kentucky Derby, Lewis said he wanted his epitaph to read: "An adoring father, a loving husband and the winner of the 123rd Kentucky Derby." "I am hoping I'll be able to amend it to also: `Winner of the 1997 Triple Crown,' " Lewis said yesterday. "We need a Triple Crown now," said winning jockey Gary Stevens. "We need it, and the sport needs it. It couldn't happen to a better guy than Bob Lewis." "I hope I don't let the racing fans down for the Triple Crown," said Bob Baffert, Silver Charm's trainer. Two heads separated Silver Charm, Free House and Captain Bodgit at the end of the 1 3/16th miles. It looked like Free House was going to win until the final strides, when Silver Charm got his head in front. The gray 3-year-old needs a victory in the Belmont Stakes on June 7 to become the first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed in 1978. Silver Charm's victory in the 1 1/4-mile Derby also was by a head, over Captain Bodgit, who became the beaten favorite in both the Derby and the Preakness. The 122nd Preakness certainly matched the 123rd Derby for excitement. Four horses were in serious contention for the victory at the top of the stretch: Touch Gold on the rail, Free House next to him, then Silver Charm and Captain Bodgit on the outside. Free House was first. Silver Charm second, Touch Gold third and Captain Bodgit fourth. Captain Bodgit, ridden by Alex Solis, moved into third past Touch Gold with about one-eighth mile to go, but then couldn't quite catch the two horses in front of him. Silver Charm reached the end of the 1 3/16th miles on a fast track in 1:54 4/5 and paid $8.20, $4 and $2.60. Free House, ridden by Kent Desormeaux, returned $3.60 and $2.60, while Captain Bodgit returned $2.40. Completing the order of finish after fourth-place Touch Gold were Frisk Me Now, Concerto, Hoxie, Wild Tempest, Cryp Too and Jack At The Bank. As the stretch duel unfolded before a crowd of 88,594, Lewis shouted, "We've got to get him, Gary! We've got to get him, Gary!" When the two horses flashed across the finish line, Lewis shouted, "We did it, Robert!" and turned and embraced Baffert, whose face showed he wasn't quite sure his horse had done it. "I am pretty numb," Baffert said. "It's just sinking in that I won this race. It's going to be great for racing. I just hope we can go out now and win the Triple Crown." Sometime later, at the postrace news conference, he said, "I am still numb. I can't believe it." "I told Gary he could ride him with confidence," Baffert added. "Just push the right buttons; no more photo finishes, though." Silver Charm, purchased as a 2-year-old for $85,000, earned $488,150 and now has a bankroll of $1,632,300 on a record of five wins and three seconds in eight career starts. Three of the wins and two of the seconds came in five starts this year. A victory in the Belmont would earn Silver Charm a $5 million bonus, which includes the winner's shares of the three races. Touch Gold stumbled at the start so badly that his nose hit the track. But jockey Chris McCarron got the horse quickly into racing gear. McCarron lost the mount on Silver Charm after he was injured in a spill in the Jim Beam Stakes on March 29. He was unable to ride in the Derby. Now, he can only watch - and perhaps spoil - Stevens' bid for the Triple Crown. Of Free House's heart-wrenching loss, Desormeaux said, "It'a tough defeat. You don't know whether to laugh or cry. That Silver Charm must be doing a little better than we expected. He's a great horse." http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19970518&slug=2539945