Silver Charm: And the Old Friends Who Save the Thoroughbreds

by M.J. Evans

WINNER OF THE LITERARY GLOBAL BOOK AWARD

When champions retire, who fights for their tomorrow?
In the high-stakes world of horse racing, thoroughbreds capture our hearts with their thundering hooves and breathtaking speed. But what happens when the cheering stops and the spotlight fades? Silver Charm is not just a biography of this famous horse’s life and career. It also takes readers behind the scenes of an extraordinary mission to save racing's greatest athletes from a fate worse than losing.

Follow the incredible journey of Silver Charm, the oldest living Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner, and discover the passionate network of "old friends" who've dedicated their lives to ensuring retired racehorses live out their golden years with dignity and love. From the boardrooms of racing executives to the rolling pastures of retirement farms, this is a story of second chances, unwavering loyalty, and the unbreakable bonds between humans and horses.
Part heartwarming rescue story, part insider's look at the racing industry, Silver Charm reveals how a movement of dedicated individuals transformed the future for thousands of Thoroughbreds. Their victory isn't measured in lengths or times—it's measured in lives saved and legacies honored.

Because every champion deserves a champion.
Perfect for horse lovers, racing fans, and anyone who believes in the power of compassion to change the world. Gold Medal winner of the Literary Global Book Awards.
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202 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 7, 2025

About the author

I am a graduate of Oregon State University. Upon graduation, I spent five years teaching at the middle school and high school levels. My writing, at that time, was limited to curriculum. That was not fun.

While raising my children, I coached their Odyssey of the Mind and Destination Imagination teams for seventeen years. I helped them write their own stories for the competitions. During this time, I also wrote two parent handbooks for the Salem, Oregon School district on sex education.

About fifteen years ago, I was able to combine my passion for horses with my love of writing. I researched and wrote two equestrian trail guide books for the Denver area. By “research” I mean that I spent every Friday riding my horse on a new trail, be it on the plains or in the mountains. It was a tough job, but someone had to do it! The result of that work was the publication of Riding Colorado-Day Trips from Denver with Your Horse, and Riding Colorado II. Both books continue to sell very well in the Denver to Colorado Springs area and have made my horse famous.

I was able to combine my love of horses with my love of fantasy in my first Trilogy. The Mist Trilogy, comprised of Behind the Mist, Mists of Darkness and the Rising Mist received a gold medal from the Mom's Choice Awards. My next fantasy, an allegory of the Revolutionary War, but with Trolls and Leprechauns, won first place in the Purple Dragonfly Awards for fantasy. I took a brief (2 year) break from writing fantasy to complete a contemporary, coming of age novel titled "In the Heart of a Mustang." This YA novel won first place in the Literary Classics Awards for Young Adult fiction and second place in the Nautilus Awards in the same category.

On October 1, 2016, I released the first book of my new fantasy series "The Stone of Mercy: Book 1 of the Centaur Chronicles."

I have now expanded my writing interests to include Historical Fiction: "PINTO! Based Upon the True Story of the Longest Horseback Ride in History," and "The Sand Pounder - Love and Drama on Horseback in WWII."
I have also had fun working with illustrators on five picture books: "PERCY - The Racehorse Who Didn't Like to Run," and "The Skullington Family Series."

I describe myself as a “Mozart” type of writer as opposed to a “Beethoven” writer. When I sit down to write, the words just flow and I don’t have to go back and do a lot of revisions.