GEORGETOWN, KY—Silver Charm had always envisioned himself in a public relations job. “It just comes to me naturally,” he quipped, “even more so than racing, which is saying something. I just click with humans, I guess.”

The 1997 Kentucky Derby and Preakness champion, now pensioned from stud duty (“Retired from retirement” as he calls it) has become the go-to for fans and reporters alike at Old Friends Farm. He’s my first stop at the farm, and he greeted me warmly as I took a seat along the fence surrounding his pasture. He easily lives up to the latter half of his name, though his once-silvery gray coat has now faded almost completely white.

His transition from full-time stallion to full-time personality was swift and easy. He’s only been at Old Friends for three years, but with how integral a part of tours and merchandise he’s become, you’d think he’d been there since the day he outdueled Captain Bodgit down the stretch to claim victory in the Run for the Roses. “I’ve always traveled well,” he said. “A lot of horses would struggle with the cross-country trips and stress out over the international travel, but for me it was no different than a trip across town. Plus,” he chuckled, “the mares in Dubai were pretty freaking awesome.”

Born in Florida in 1994, Silver Charm showed promise from an early age, and quickly found himself on the road to Churchill Downs. “I guess the first moment it really felt ‘real’ to me was when I walked out onto the track for that first practice [before the Derby]. You hear stories about it from the older colts in the barn, but no words can do it justice. You get the sense that it isn’t just another race. This is something bigger, way bigger.”

After the Derby and another hard-fought victory over Captain Bodgit and Free House in the Preakness, Silver Charm had a date with destiny in New York for the Triple Crown. “I honestly wasn’t that nervous,” he recalled. “I’d done all the training for the longer distance, I was in good shape, and I’d already pulled out two close races at Pimlico and Churchill. I wouldn’t say I was cocky, but I was definitely confident that I could win the Belmont.” The race featured yet another stretch duel with Free House, who Silver Charm repelled—only to be passed on the outside by Touch Gold at the last second. “I never saw him,” he admitted. “I was so focused on staying in front of Free House that I lost track of the rest of the field. By the time I realized he’d moved up on the outside the race was over.” The Triple Crown near-miss hasn’t weighed as heavily on Silver Charm as it has on some of his contemporaries. “Frankly, it never crosses my mind. If I spent all my time thinking about it I’d probably have gone nuts by now. It wasn’t like my life depended on winning a Triple Crown. Anything after the Derby was just a bonus.”

He bounced back in 1998, both as a runner himself (becoming the second American to win the Dubai World Cup) and as a mentor, as his stablemate Real Quiet chased destiny on the Triple Crown trail. However, their relationship soured after Real Quiet’s narrow defeat in the Belmont, a fact that still bothers Silver Charm. “We never really made up after ’98. I think all the publicity of us being from the same trainer, the same stretch duels and eventually the same results started getting to him. He was his own stallion, and a damned good runner, but the media never really treated him that way. He felt like he was living in my shadow, and so he took it out on me. I didn’t really understand it at the time, but I feel bad for him now. He deserved better than he got.”

After his retirement from racing in 1999, Silver Charm took up residence at Three Chimneys, home of Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew. When asked about their relationship, Silver Charm just laughed and said, “No comment.” Slew’s dislike of Silver Charm was almost as famous in racing circles as the stallions’ on-track performances; it was long rumored that Slew had pushed for Silver Charm to be moved, not just to another farm, but to another country. “We both had pretty alpha stallion personalities, and he was there first. We clashed pretty much they day I moved in.” He laughed. “You know, Slew used to insist that I turn away from him when he was led past my stall. I used to think he hated even seeing my face, but now I think he just liked looking at my ass.” Silver Charm vehemently denied any prior knowledge of Slew’s homosexuality. “No, no, none of us knew. He did a spectacular job of hiding it, not that he really had any choice. It wasn’t something you could get away with back then, especially as a celebrity. Of course, it’s a different era now. Who knows, maybe he’d have come out if he were around today.”

Seattle Slew’s wish would be granted posthumously, as Silver Charm would leave Three Chimneys for Japan prior to the 2005 breeding season. “Japan was fantastic,” he recalled. “The countryside was gorgeous, as was the farm, and I got lots of attention. It wasn’t that different from home.” He paused for a moment. “Well… the mares were different. Not quite as outgoing as American mares, but a little easier to work with. Plus, I was the rich famous American stud, so I was exotic, and they just loved that. The star-struck factor wore off a little as I got older, but I still loved every moment of it.”

In October 2014, Three Chimneys and Old Friends jointly announced that Silver Charm would be pensioned and returned to the US. His return was met with great enthusiasm, as he was the first Champion to utilize the so-called “Ferdinand Fee” that guaranteed his safe return at the conclusion of his breeding career. He immediately became the featured attraction at Old Friends. “It’s truly a wonderful place. My mother spent the last six years of her life here. She’s buried in the main cemetery behind the house. That was kind of an emotional reunion for me. Makes me happy to know she got to enjoy all this, though.”

It’s now been twenty years since Silver Charm claimed his spot among the legends of Churchill Downs. He’s the oldest living winner of the Preakness Stakes, and the fourth oldest living Kentucky Derby winner in the US, which makes him a de facto elder statesman of the racing world. “It’s strange to think I’m as old now as Slew was when I won the Derby. He seemed like an antique when I met him, but I guess that’s how today’s colts see me.” Those colts haven’t forgotten his on-track successes, either. “I still get letters every now and then from runners who want advice for a track or a race. It feels really good to know they still want my advice, and I’m more than happy to help them out.” For now, Silver Charm is more than content to greet fans—and make new ones. “I met a woman the other day who told me the first bet she ever placed on a race was on me in the Derby, and she’s been a fan ever since. She brought her daughter along with her. I like to think that two fans left that day.”

With Silver Charm, it’s easy to imagine they’re two of many.