Thunder Gulch First by a Nose in Florida Derby

The results are in from the East: Thunder Gulch will go to Churchill Downs as the top contender for the Kentucky Derby.

But only by a nose.

In a stirring stretch duel before a cheering crowd of 25,434 at Gulfstream Park, Thunder Gulch overtook Suave Prospect in the final stride and won the $500,000 Florida Derby on Saturday.

“Right now, he is king of the hill in the East,” trainer Wayne Lukas said of Thunder Gulch, who edged Suave Prospect three weeks ago to win the Fountain of Youth by a neck.

The two will meet again in racing’s best new rivalry in the Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland on April 15.

“Maybe it’s Alydar and Affirmed all over again,” Lukas said. “As long as he’ll play the role of Alydar, we’ll be all right.”

In 1977 and ‘78, Affirmed and Alydar hooked up in some of the most memorable matchups in history, with Affirmed winning the Triple Crown in ’78 and Alydar finishing second all three times.

Nick Zito, who trains Suave Prospect, has two Derby winners in the last four years in Strike The Gold (1991) and Go For Gin (1994). And he’s not about to give up without a fight.

“There’s always Kentucky, and that’s my home port,” Zito said.

On Saturday, Thunder Gulch tracked Suave Prospect down the stretch and jockey Mike Smith finally edged his colt in front as they hit the wire.

Thunder Gulch covered the 1 1/8 miles in a moderate 1:49 3/5 as the second choice behind favorite Suave Prospect, ridden by Jerry Bailey.

“I think Suave Prospect is a better horse if he can whip around horses,” said Bailey, whose seven winners in 10 mounts broke a 42-year-old track record for victories in a day. “I wanted an outside trip, but the track was favoring speed and the inside.”