Thunder Gulch
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| Thunder Gulch | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Sire | Gulch |
| Grandsire | Mr. Prospector |
| Dam | Line Of Thunder |
| Damsire | Storm Bird |
| Sex | Stallion |
| Foaled | May 23, 1992[1] |
| Died | March 19, 2018 (aged 25) |
| Country | USA |
| Colour | Chestnut |
| Breeder | Peter M. Brant |
| Owner | Michael Tabor |
| Trainer | D. Wayne Lukas |
| Record | 16: 9-2-2 |
| Earnings | $2,915,086[2] |
| Major wins | |
| Remsen Stakes (1994) Fountain of Youth Stakes (1995) Florida Derby (1995) Swaps Stakes (1995) Kentucky Cup Classic Handicap (1995) Travers Stakes (1995) American Classic Race wins: Kentucky Derby (1995) Belmont Stakes (1995) | |
| Awards | |
| U.S. Champion 3-Yr-Old Colt (1995) Leading sire in North America (2001) | |
| Last updated on March 19, 2018 | |
Thunder Gulch (May 23, 1992 – March 19, 2018) was a Champion American Thoroughbred racehorse best known for his wins in the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont Stakes in 1995, which earned him the title of U.S. Champion 3-Yr-Old Colt.
Bred by Peter Brant and owned by Michael Tabor, Thunder Gulch was a son of Gulch out of Line Of Thunder.[3]
Racing career
Thunder Gulch won the Remsen Stakes as a two-year-old in 1994. In the spring of 1995, he won the Fountain of Youth Stakes and the Florida Derby.
At Churchill Downs, he left the starting gate at 25-1 odds in 1995 and won the Kentucky Derby in 2:01.2 from post 16.[4] He was ridden by jockey Gary Stevens. D. Wayne Lukas, his trainer, entered three horses for the 121st "Run for the Roses".
Following his win in Louisville, Thunder Gulch finished third to his stablemate Timber Country in the Preakness Stakes. In the Belmont Stakes, Thunder Gulch was made 3/2 favourite after Timber Country was withdrawn from the race with a fever. He won by two lengths from Star Standard, giving Lukas the first individual Triple Crown, his fifth consecutive win in the series.[5] Thunder Gulch also won in the Travers Stakes, in which he overcame a bad start to record a four and a half length victory over Pyramid Peak.[6] With the Travers Stakes win, he became only the fourth horse to win the Kentucky Derby, Belmont Stakes, and Travers (Twenty Grand, Whirlaway and Shut Out were the others).[7] Other victories in 1995 included the Swaps Stakes, and the Kentucky Cup Classic Handicap.
Thunder Gulch was retired in the fall of his three-year-old campaign after finishing fifth to American Horse of the Year Cigar in a "much-anticipated showdown"[8] for the Jockey Club Gold Cup.[9] After the race, it was discovered that he had fractured his left front cannon bone.[10]