Charismatic, the 1999 Horse of the Year and dual classic winner, is settling in to pensioned life at Old Friends after returning to Kentucky following more than a decade in Japan. The 20-year-old son of Summer Squall arrived at the Georgetown, Ky., farm on Saturday night, completing a trans-Pacific journey that takes weeks to negotiate because of federal and state import regulations. Charismatic first spent time in quarantine in Japan before flying to Chicago, with a refueling stop in Anchorage, Alaska. He then spent several days in quarantine at Arlington Park before a final van ride to Kentucky. Old Friends veterinarian Bryan Waldridge checked the stallion over upon arrival, as is standard procedure, and pronounced that he had come through the journey in good order. As with all Old Friends arrivals from overseas, Charismatic will spend several weeks in quarantine and adjusting to his new surroundings and handlers before being shown to the public on tours. The farm will, however, host a brief “welcome home” gathering for the stallion in December, with details pending. For now, Charismatic resides in Old Friends’s new quarantine barn – which replaced an older barn that burned down earlier this year – and enjoys daily turnout in an adjacent paddock. Charismatic has already had one special visitor in advance of his public debut. Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas drove from his Churchill Downs base in Louisville, Ky., to visit the horse a day after his arrival. “He looks exactly the same,” Lukas told the Old Friends staff. Lukas trained Charismatic, who went from racing for a claiming tag to become a household name for Bob and Beverly Lewis. A victory in the Lexington Stakes earned the colt a spot in the Kentucky Derby, and picking up the mount on the 31-1 longshot was the late Chris Antley, who had won the Derby on Strike the Gold eight years prior and had come back from addiction and a battle with his weight to return to the saddle. Charismatic won the Derby and then the Preakness to set up a bid for the Triple Crown. But in the Belmont, Charismatic faded to third, emerging from the race with a career-ending fracture to his left front ankle. Sensing something was amiss with the colt, Antley pulled him up shortly after the wire and lifted and held his injured leg, immobilizing him until help arrived. He has been credited with saving the horse’s life. Charismatic initially stood at Lane’s End before being sold to stand in Japan beginning with the 2003 season. His return to Kentucky was financed partially through an endowment set up by the Lewises, plus a donation from Tito’s Handmade Vodka. Old Friends is raising additional funds by selling limited-edition “shareholder” certificates, featuring photography by Daily Racing Form’s multiple Eclipse Award winner Barbara Livingston, for $199.90, a nod to the year of the stallion’s classic victories. Lukas spent time on Sunday signing the certificates.