Thunder Gulch

Thunder Gulch, the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes winner, fractured a cannon bone in his left foreleg in Saturday's Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park and has been retired to stud.In the race, the horse was beaten 14 lengths by Cigar."After the Gold Cup, he was very uncomfortable," said trainer D. Wayne Lukas. "We had X-rays taken and discovered he has a condylar fracture. We've seen him run all year and knew that that was not the Thunder Gulch we knew."Owner Michael Tabor said: "Obviously, I'm shellshocked.

Monzon, the Maryland-bred horse owned by Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank and the first Sagamore Farm horse to run in a Triple Crown race since Native Dancer in 1953, didn't have a particularly great Belmont Stakes, finishing a disappointing ninth. But it was, in many respects, a memorable run. Seconds out of the gate, Monzon clipped heels withAnimal Kingdom, the 5-2 pre-race favorite, and it nearly resulted in a calamitous pile-up. Monzon seemed fine, but Animal Kingdom nearly went down, essentially ending his chances at becoming the first horse to win the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont since Thunder Gulch did it in 1995.

We know what Thunder Gulch isn't. He isn't the way-out-there long shot suggested by the 24-1 odds he carried around the racetrack in winning the Kentucky Derby.But, with the Preakness just two days away, do we know what Thunder Gulch is? We don't. It's still too soon, too early in his career to know.He could be a champion in the making, following the lead of such recent Derby winners as Alysheba and Sunday Silence. Or he could be a one-hit wonder, following the lead of such recent Derby winners as Winning Colors, Lil E. Tee and Go For Gin. Or he could be something in between.

Here's a basic truth that most people in horse racing can agree on: The best horse in the field doesn't always win the Kentucky Derby. That doesn't mean Eskendereya, who will head to Churchill Downs as the biggest favorite in years, has any built-in excuses if he gets beat in the first leg of the 2010 Triple Crown. Right now, the Todd Pletcher-trained chestnut colt looks so talented, he should be able to overcome some of pitfalls that tend to take down Derby favorites. He should go off as the shortest priced Derby favorite since Point Given was 9-to-5 in 2001.

Kentucky Derby winner Thunder Gulch is getting no respect -- at least from Maryland bettors in Preakness advance wagering.After a small total of $49,422 was bet on the race yesterday, Thunder Gulch ranks as co-third choice with Derby runner-up Tejano Run at 5-1 odds.But Timber Country, Thunder Gulch's stablemate, is attracting plenty of play. So far, he's the 2-1 favorite.Here's the complete advance run-down:Timber Country, 2-1; Talkin Man, 5-2; Tejano Run, 5-1; Thunder Gulch, 5-1; Oliver's Twist, 8-1; Our Gatsby, 13-1; Mecke, 20-1; Star Standard, 20-1; Mystery Storm, 25-1; Itron, 40-1; and PanaBrass, 60-1.

ELMONT, N.Y. -- D. Wayne Lukas flew into New York yesterday with a string of racing stars, led by Thunder Gulch, his Kentucky Derby winner, who will force an immediate showdown with Cigar on Saturday in the $750,000 Jockey Club Gold Cup instead of waiting three weeks for the Breeders' Cup.The trainer from California earlier had avoided a confrontation between Thunder Gulch and Cigar, who has won his last 10 races and has earned front ranking for the title...

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Thunder Gulch's victory in the Kentucky Derby yesterday was such a surprise, such an out-of-nowhere jaw-dropper, that there was this improbable occurrence in the minutes after the race: the winning trainer covering his rear end.D. Wayne Lukas wanted you to believe that he wasn't completely shocked by the 24-1 upset, that he had at least sort of seen it coming, that it wasn't the absurdity to him that it was to the rest of the racing nation.But, after having spent weeks talking up the other two horses he ran yesterday, and not Thunder Gulch, racing's original Talkin Man found himself in one corner from which he couldn't pull a fast-talking escape.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Thunder Gulch turned "Wayne's World" upside down yesterday in the 121st Kentucky Derby.The muscular colt, a 24-1 shot that trainer D. Wayne Lukas considered the least likely of his three starters to win, stormed to the front at the top of the stretch at Churchill Downs and with another quarter of a mile to go, held off all comers in the fastest Derby in 10 years.Lukas watched as Serena's Song, the filly that he trains and was the lone female in the 19-horse field, wilted and finished 16th after setting a quick early pace that left her exhausted.

Just as he had done in the Kentucky Derby two weeks ago, Thunder Gulch was running wide and well when he hit the backstretch at Pimlico.But just as quickly as the specter of a Triple Crown winner arose, it was snuffed by the blur that was Timber Country.Yesterday, Thunder Gulch went back to being the "stepchild" to D. Wayne Lukas' preferred colt, finishing third in the 120th Preakness behind Timber Country and Oliver's Twist."It seems Timber Country is still head of the pack in Wayne's eyes," said Thunder Gulch jockey Gary Stevens.

Trainer D. Wayne Lukas has saddled 13 winners in the Triple Crown races, tied with Sunny Jim Fitzsimmons for most in horse racing history. Lukas' winners: 1980 Codex (Preakness) 1985 Tank's Prospect (Preakness) 1988 Winning Colors (Kentucky Derby) 1994 Tabasco Cat (Preakness, Belmont) 1995 Thunder Gulch (Kentucky Derby, Belmont) Timber Country (Preakness) 1996 Grindstone (Kentucky Derby) Editor's Note (Belmont) 1999 Charismatic (Kentucky Derby, Preakness) 2000 Commendable (Belmont)

Trainer D. Wayne Lukas has saddled 13 winners in the Triple Crown races, tied with Sunny Jim Fitzsimmons for most in horse racing history. Lukas' winners: 1980 Codex (Preakness) 1985 Tank's Prospect (Preakness) 1988 Winning Colors (Kentucky Derby) 1994 Tabasco Cat (Preakness, Belmont) 1995 Thunder Gulch (Kentucky Derby, Belmont) Timber Country (Preakness) 1996 Grindstone (Kentucky Derby) Editor's Note (Belmont) 1999 Charismatic (Kentucky Derby, Preakness) 2000 Commendable (Belmont)

The history of the Kentucky Derby is replete with stories of jockeys being sacked at the last minute or jockeys choosing the wrong horse to ride. It has happened to the best of them, even to legendary jockeys such as Eddie Arcaro and Bill Shoemaker. In horseracing, no one is smart all the time. In 1942, Arcaro stuck with Devil Diver over Shut Out even though Devil Diver nursed a cut leg. Both horses were trained by John Gaver, who urged Arcaro to switch to Shut Out. Shut Out won by 2 1/4 lengths.

Stakes races to be contested on the turf course are the feature attractions of the three-day holiday weekend at Pimlico. Post time each day is 1:05 p.m. Today's headliner is the $50,000 C. Edmund O'Brien Stakes, in which 11 horses will dash five furlongs. Tomorrow's feature is the $50,000 April Run Stakes, with nine fillies and mares slated to race 1 1/2 miles. Monday's Memorial Day highlight is the $75,000 Honor Guard Stakes, which has a large field of 3-year-olds entered to go 1 1/8 miles on the grass.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - When Millennium Wind and Point Given burst from the starting gate tomorrow in the 127th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs, they'll carry jockeys who already have beaten the odds. That Laffit Pincay Jr. will be aboard Millennium Wind and Gary Stevens aboard Point Given is a testament to the riders' determination, discipline and addictive love of competition. Three years ago, Pincay's career hit the skids. He considered moving his tack from southern California to northern California or even Washington, where racing is minor-league.

HALLANDALE, Fla. -- This time last year the sporting world knew nothing of Charismatic. He was an obscure former claimer out of favor in the high-profile barn of D. Wayne Lukas. As sports fans now know, Charismatic won the Kentucky Derby at odds of 31-1 and then the Preakness at 8-1. He lost the Triple Crown after breaking a leg in the Belmont. He survived, retired and was voted 1999 Horse of the Year. So, go ahead: Pick the winner of Kentucky Derby 2000 on this blissful Florida morning.

HALLANDALE, Fla. -- An erect, alert-looking Cigar reappeared at the racetrack yesterday, three months after retiring as one of the great thoroughbreds of all time.The Maryland-bred champion did not reappear in the flesh, but in bronze next to the paddock here at Gulfstream Park, just south of Fort Lauderdale. On a delightful, sunny day near 80 degrees, the life-size statue of Cigar was unveiled at the track where he won more races -- four -- than any other during his historic 16-race winning streak.

D. Wayne Lukas will not be in his accustomed favorite's role today at Belmont Park with his top 3-year-olds Thunder Gulch and Serena's Song. Each will face a tough older runner on the track's Breeders' Cup Preview card.In the $750,000 Jockey Club Gold Cup, Thunder Gulch will go against Cigar, the Maryland-bred 5-year-old who is a heavy choice to win his 11th consecutive race.Local trainer Bud Delp said weeks ago he feels Thunder Gulch "doesn't have a prayer" against Cigar.Serena's Song will face Heavenly Prize in the $250,000 Beldame Stakes.

Thunder Gulch yesterday drew the worst Preakness post by a Kentucky Derby winner in more than a dozen years.The D. Wayne Lukas-trained runner drew gate 11 on the extreme outside in the 11-horse field, which is the third-largest group of horses to run in the Preakness in the past 10 years.But unlike Sunny's Halo, the Derby winner who finished sixth out of gate 11 in 1983, Thunder Gulch seems to thrive on such adversity."He's been out there before and it didn't matter," Lukas said.In the Derby, Thunder Gulch drew 16, a post considered poisonous, based on the fact no horse had ever won from it. But LTC Thunder Gulch seems to run best from the outside.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- As if this week couldn't get any worse for Unbridled's Song, he drew the extreme outside No. 20 post position in Saturday's Kentucky Derby.In this century, one horse -- Clyde Van Dusen in 1929 -- won from that spot. Nevertheless, Unbridled's Song, who is being treated this week for an injured foot, was made the 8-to-5 morning-line favorite.Last night's draw was just as harsh on the Derby's second and third choices.The 7-to-2 second choice, Skip Away, drew No. 17, from where no Derby starter this century has won. The horse is owned and trained by a couple well known in Maryland, Baltimore native Carolyn Hine and her husband, Sonny.

Cigar's amazing 1995 swept his owner, trainer, jockey and himself into the winner's circle again yesterday when all four were honored with Eclipse Awards. Born at Country Life Farm in Bel Air, Cigar was named on every ballot as the champion older male horse and Allen Paulson, Bill Mott and Jerry Bailey were chosen the outstanding owner, trainer and jockey, respectively.Cigar earned a record $4,819,800 last year with a perfect 10-race record, including eight Grade I victories. He overpowered all comers at tracks in Maryland, Florida, Arkansas, Massachusetts, California and New York.