Michael Blowen founded Old Friends, a thoroughbred retirement farm in Kentucky, two decades ago. At the farm, retired racehorses, including former winners and losers, are attentively cared for in their golden years. Blowen can watch one of his longtime friends, Silver Charm, the champion thoroughbred that won the 1997 Kentucky Derby, amble aimlessly in a nearby pasture. Silver Charm now spends his days napping and enjoying treats from Blowen, who founded Old Friends in 2003 after learning that the 1986 Derby winner, Ferdinand, had died in a slaughterhouse in Japan. Today, about 250 former racehorses call Old Friends home, where they are provided a dignified and comfortable retirement.
At Old Friends, visitors can take guided tours to see some of the farm’s most famous residents, including Silver Charm and I’ll Have Another, the 2012 Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner. The farm offers visitors a chance to get up-close with these legendary horses and interact with them. Silver Charm, a 30-year-old Hall of Fame racehorse, has been living at Old Friends for nearly a decade. His daily routine includes posing for tour group photos and mingling with neighbors in adjoining paddocks. Silver Charm’s attention at Old Friends has come to symbolize the care thoroughbreds deserve in their golden years, long after their racing careers have ended.
Old Friends relies mostly on donations to meet its annual operating expenses which reach into the millions of dollars. The farm is dedicated to providing a comfortable retirement to all former racehorses, regardless of their success on the track. Silver Charm, a beloved ambassador for the farm, symbolizes the life that former racehorses deserve. Other former Derby winners, like Touch Gold and Swain, have also called Old Friends home. Even lovable losers like Zippy Chippy, who never won in 100 races, spent their golden years in comfort at the farm. Owners who wish to retire their horses at Old Friends must surrender ownership and deliver the horse, and preference is given to horses in “great risk” or stallions being returned from overseas.
For tourists like Susan Hale, visiting Old Friends and seeing horses like Silver Charm up close can bring back memories and create lasting connections. Hale recalled placing a bet on Silver Charm at the 1997 Derby and winning enough money to pay for dinner with friends. Silver Charm’s victory in that race left a lasting impact on Hale, who now has a framed print of the horse displayed in her living room. Silver Charm remains a favorite among visitors to Old Friends, but for Blowen, the founder of the farm, Silver Charm is a beloved neighbor who brings joy every day simply by being outside Blowen’s back door.
