Silver Charm Is Favored in Goodwood

Silver Charm, the 4-5 favorite in today’s $500,000 Goodwood Breeders’ Cup Handicap at Santa Anita, can become the eighth horse to join the $5-million club, but his trainer, Bob Baffert, is eyeing a bigger goal.

Baffert said that with a win against archrival Free House and another win over Skip Away in the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Churchill Downs on Nov. 7, Silver Charm can thrust himself into horse-of-the-year contention.

“We’ve got to get by Free House first,” Baffert said. “But if we win the Breeders’ Cup after that, it would mean that my horse has won two of the biggest races in the world.”

Silver Charm won the $4-million Dubai World Cup in March, but since then he has been beaten by Awesome Again at Churchill Downs, run last in the San Diego Handicap at Del Mar and finished in a dead heat with Wild Rush for the win in the Kentucky Cup Classic at Turfway Park.

Silver Charm has four wins and a second in six starts this year and has boosted his career earnings to $49,570 short of $5 million.

Skip Away started the year with seven consecutive wins before his third-place finish in the Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park on Oct. 10. He came out of the race with a swollen right front ankle, but has recovered quickly and was back in training Wednesday.

Free House, 6-5 on the Goodwood’s morning line, won the Pacific Classic at Del Mar in August before finishing a well-beaten fourth as Skip Away won the Woodward at Belmont a month ago.