Silver Charm Mount Picked Up by Antley

Chris Antley, who rode Charismatic to victory in this year’s Kentucky Derby and Preakness, is the new rider for Silver Charm, who won the Derby and Preakness while ridden by Gary Stevens in 1997.

Antley’s first assignment aboard Silver Charm will be in the $750,000 Stephen Foster Handicap at Churchill Downs on June 12. The mount on Silver Charm opened up after Stevens left Saturday for England, where he will be a contract rider for trainer Michael Stoute this season.

Stevens had hoped to return to the U.S. to keep riding Silver Charm and a few other top mounts, but trainer Bob Baffert said Sunday at Churchill Downs that arrangement wouldn’t be feasible.

“It boiled down to getting Chris Antley or Chris McCarron,” Baffert said. “McCarron’s tied up with Old Trieste, so it will be Antley. We wanted somebody who wouldn’t be tied up with other horses.”

McCarron rode Old Trieste to victory Saturday in the Californian at Hollywood Park.

Antley, sidelined by weight problems and depression, resurrected his career this year after trainer Wayne Lukas gave him the mount on Charismatic. Silver Charm and Charismatic are both owned by Bob and Beverly Lewis.

Stevens finished third aboard Real Quiet in the Massachusetts Handicap at Suffolk Downs on Saturday. Baffert said that Real Quiet and Silver Charm are both candidates to run in the Hollywood Gold Cup on June 27.