California Gold Rush II--Rare Charmer

The only difficult part about Rare Charmer's win in the 2001 Fran's Valentine Stakes was getting her to accept the garland of flowers over her withers. Other than that, the 6-year-old daughter of Slewpy was simply awesome, scoring by 2 1/2 lengths under Laffit Pincay Jr. She just didn't care for the flowers.

"I think I was riding the best filly in the race," exhorted the sport's all-time leading jockey. "Even when she dropped back early I knew she was going to win. I rode her with great confidence I kept her back behind the speed, made one run with her and, boy, at the three-eighths pole she was flying."

Rare Charmer was just one-half of a powerful team of Slewpy 6-year-olds for breeder-owner Nick Cafarchia in 2001. Road to Slew, who is a half-brother to Rare Charmer's dam, Dancing Road, added the Grade II Frank E. Kilroe Mile and Crystal Water Handicap to his earlier win in the 2000 Cal Cup Mile. Prior to winning the Fran's Valentine, Rare Charmer scored her initial stakes victory in the Grade II Buena Vista Handicap on the turf at Santa Anita.

Cafarchia, owner of Eagle Rock Italian Bakery, immigrated to California from Italy in 1959. Like so many members of his family did before him, he went to work in the bakery business as a pastry man. Somewhere along the way, he joined up with three friends and bought a racehorse. This first horse soon led to another and to yet another. Now, Cafarchia has 32 Thoroughbreds and a thriving bakery to support them all. Rare Charmer and Road to Slew, however, earned enough to pay their own bills last year.

Rare Charmer has been retired after injuring an ankle and is scheduled to be bred to War Chant this year, as will her dam. War Chant narrowly defeated Road to Slew in the Oak Tree Breeders' Cup Mile en route to his Breeders' Cup victory in 2000.

"I felt it was time to take that step upwards," Cafarchia said. "Everyone from this family can run. They've earned the right to prove themselves in Kentucky."