Thunder Gulch a Winner in His Florida Debut

No match for Afternoon Deelites when last seen in the Hollywood Futurity, Thunder Gulch found no such competition in his first visit to Florida on Saturday.

Making his first start as a 3-year-old and his fourth for trainer Wayne Lukas, Thunder Gulch raced with Suave Prospect through the stretch and won the $200,000 Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream Park.

Wide throughout under Mike Smith after breaking from Post 9 in the field of 12 3-year-olds, the 9-2 fourth choice took the lead in midstretch and won by a neck in 1:43 1/5 for the 1 1/16 miles.

A winner of two in a row in Florida, Suave Prospect, who also was wide after breaking from the extreme outside, finished four lengths clear of 19-10 favorite Jambalaya Jazz, who was ridden for the first time by Eddie Delahoussaye. Hutcheson winner Valid Wager, the 5-2 second choice, finished sixth, showing that more distance isn’t what he wants.

Shipped to Florida on Thursday, Thunder Gulch probably will remain there for the Florida Derby on March 11.

“I thought this was a very strong race for him,” said Lukas, who trains the colt for owner Michael Tabor. “This is a real good place to get started, and you like to start with a win.

“The number one seed in the West is up for grabs with Afternoon Deelites and Timber Country, and this is the number one seed in the South. You’ll see a better horse in three weeks. He has the right to improve more than any other horse in this race because he had never been over this track before and the other horses had.”

First past the wire in his last four starts (although he had been disqualified and placed second on Feb. 3), Jambalaya Jazz made a run around the turn to get into contention, but he flattened out late.

“The speed kind of held up today,” said John Ward, the trainer of the favorite. “He didn’t close as well as I thought he should. Coming back in two weeks may have been a little quicker than he wants. We’ll see about the (March 11) Florida Derby.”

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Santa Anita’s leading rider, Corey Nakatani, probably will be handed at least a five-day suspension by the stewards after being disqualified from second to sixth aboard favored Lit De Justice in the $110,000 El Conejo Handicap on Saturday.

Phone Roberto, a 9-1 shot, won the meeting’s shortest stakes race by two lengths, covering the 5 1/2 furlongs in 1:02 1/5 under Chris McCarron, but anyone who saw the El Conejo knew Lit De Justice was best.

Far off the anticipated fast early pace, the 11-10 choice got into gear around the turn and looked as if he was going to fly past the seven other horses.

However, Nakatani elected to stay inside rather than go around everyone, and that’s when the trouble began. Trying to make a hole where one didn’t exist, Nakatani and Lit De Justice interfered with Touch The Moon and Gundaghia. There was a spill in last year’s El Conejo that caused the death of Arrowtown, and some thought there was going to be another accident Saturday.

“I was on the outside of Joy (Scott on Touch The Moon) and . . . she floated out, so I switched to the inside,” said Nakatani. “You have to make a decision. You do it or you don’t. I made the decision to go, my horse started to go through, then it got real tight.”

Phone Roberto, who had won an $80,000 claiming race in his previous start, won for the sixth time in 20 starts.

“I wasn’t involved in any way with the traffic,” said McCarron. “I heard some yelling and screaming at the eighth pole and because it was happening behind me, I didn’t know what was going on. (Trainer) Darrell (Vienna) just said, ‘I think he’ll get outrun down the backstretch. Just get him in the clear and ask him to go. That’s what happened.”

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Serena’s Song, who is a nose away from a four-race winning streak, will try to solidify her status as the nation’s top 3-year-old filly when she takes on eight others in the $150,000 Las Virgenes Stakes today at Santa Anita.

In her last four starts, the daughter of Rahy has victories in the Oak Leaf, Hollywood Starlet and Santa Ynez Breeders’ Cup and was beaten by inches by stablemate Flanders in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies.

Serena’s Song is the 6-5 favorite in the one-mile Las Virgenes, which could produce her third Grade I victory.

Urbane, who finished only a nose behind Serena’s Song in the Hollywood Starlet, has not raced since Dec. 17. She won her two other starts for trainer Brian Mayberry and is the 4-1 second choice. Corey Black will ride.

Earlier on the card, Subtle Trouble, who scratched from Saturday’s El Conejo, is the 8-5 favorite in the $70,000 Debonaire Junior at seven furlongs. The race attracted nine California-breds.

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Horse Racing Notes

Thunder Gulch paid $9.20 at Santa Anita for his Fountain of Youth victory. . . . The $200,000 General George from Laurel will be simulcast locally on Monday. Pat Valenzuela will ride Malibu Stakes winner Powis Castle in the seven-furlong race, which will be shown between the third and fourth races. . . . Fernando Valenzuela, injured in a spill in the meeting’s first race on Dec. 26, will have his back X-rayed Monday and if all is well, he could be riding next weekend. . . . There is a carryover of more than $151,000 for today. . . . Heavily favored Petionville remained unbeaten in three starts, winning the $75,000 Gold Rush Stakes at Golden Gate Fields. Russell Baze rode the winner for trainer Randy Bradshaw.