Charming Decision for Stevens

Ending weeks of speculation, Gary Stevens made the most difficult choice of his career Tuesday, picking Silver Charm over Gentlemen as his mount for the $1-million Santa Anita Handicap.

Richard Mandella, who trains Gentlemen, then made a surprise choice, hiring Pat Day instead of a local jockey to ride his horse in the 1 1/4-mile race March 7.

Stevens had been on the spot since Feb. 7, when he rode both horses to victory at Santa Anita, Gentlemen in the San Antonio Handicap and Silver Charm in the Strub Stakes.

He has ridden Gentlemen in his last nine starts, seven of them wins, and has been aboard Silver Charm in seven consecutive races, including wins in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness last year and two wins at Santa Anita this season.

“Two things went into our decision,” said Ron Anderson, Stevens’ agent. “Gary almost won the Triple Crown with Silver Charm, and Silver Charm’s the younger horse. Silver Charm is a 4-year-old and Gentlemen is 6. Silver Charm would appear to have a longer career ahead of him. But the two horses are very close in ability. We really wish that we didn’t have to make a choice.”

Stevens has never finished worse than second with Silver Charm. With a $5-million bonus on the line, they finished three-quarters of a length behind Touch Gold in last year’s Belmont Stakes, costing owners Bob and Beverly Lewis and trainer Bob Baffert the Triple Crown.

Silver Charm was still voted the Eclipse award for champion 3-year-old; Gentlemen was beaten out by Skip Away in the voting for best older male.

“I’m glad Gary’s sticking with our horse,” Baffert said. “It was a tough call, because Gentlemen’s a great horse. He might have won an Eclipse if he hadn’t gone to Canada and lost on the grass late in the year.”

Stevens, who rode Gentlemen to a third-place finish in last year’s Big ‘Cap, has won the race three times, most recently with Ruhlmann in 1990.

Day, based in Florida, has won more than 7,000 races and four Eclipse awards. Like Stevens, Day is a member of the Racing Hall of Fame, but he seldom rides in California. His biggest West Coast win came with Wild Again, at Hollywood Park in the first Breeders’ Cup Classic in 1984.

Day won the Breeders’ Cup Distaff with Lady’s Secret at Santa Anita in 1986 and has been seventh with two Santa Anita Handicap mounts, last riding in 1989.