Thunder Gulch’s Lightning Strikes Derby : Horse racing: Stevens rides Lukas’ No. 3 horse to surprising victory as Timber Country is third, Serena’s Song 16th.

That familiar Kentucky Derby parlay from 1988, trainer Wayne Lukas and jockey Gary Stevens, worked its magic again at Churchill Downs Saturday.

Winning Colors was the four-legged partner then. This time, Lukas and Stevens transfixed Louisville with a chestnut colt, not a roan filly, and they did it from out of left field when Thunder Gulch, the least regarded of Lukas’ three horses, overcame a horrible post position to score a 2 1/4-length victory in the biggest Derby upset in 28 years.

When Thunder Gulch drew the No. 16 post and Lukas’ other horses, Timber Country and Serena’s Song, also drew outside positions in the 19-horse field, the trainer groaned. “It stinks,” Lukas said. But that aroma became the smell of roses Saturday. Before a crowd of 144,110, second largest in Derby history, Thunder Gulch got a perfect, trouble-free trip and blew past Talkin Man with an eighth of a mile to run.

“He surprised me from there,” Stevens said. “I thought we might have to battle with Talkin Man the rest of the way, but my horse really exploded.”

Stevens hadn’t ridden Thunder Gulch since he was a 2-year-old, when they won the Remsen Stakes at Aqueduct together. Stevens became available for Lukas after Larry The Legend, Stevens’ Santa Anita Derby winner, was knocked out of the Kentucky Derby by a chipped knee.

Thunder Gulch, owned by Michael Tabor, who runs a string of licensed betting shops in England and lives in Monaco, paid $51, the best Derby win payoff since Proud Clarion’s $62.20 return in 1967. The son of the champion sprinter Gulch and Line Of Thunder, a Storm Bird mare, Thunder Gulch has something in common with Proud Clarion: They were both unable to win the Blue Grass at Keeneland in their final Derby preps.

After winning the Florida Derby, Thunder Gulch was fourth in the Blue Grass behind Wild Syn, Suave Prospect and Tejano Run, all among the beaten Saturday. “The Blue Grass equates to nothing,” Lukas said. “It’s been like that for years. The handicappers don’t know what to do with it. It preps a horse well for the Derby, but some strange things can happen to some good horses over there.”

Because of overlapping ownership, Lukas’ two other starters ran as an entry, and Timber Country and Serena’s Song, at 3-1, became the 16th consecutive favorite to fail at winning the Derby. Tejano Run finished second, a head in front of Timber Country, who was behind 10 horses with only an eighth of a mile to go.

Timber Country beat another closer, Jumron, by three-quarters of a length, and after that, in order, came Mecke, Eltish, Knockadoon, Afternoon Deelites, Citadeed, In Character, Suave Prospect, Talkin Man, Dazzling Falls, Ski Captain, Jambalaya Jazz, Serena’s Song, Pyramid Peak, Lake George and Wild Syn. They all carried 126 pounds, except Serena’s Song with 121.

Thunder Gulch, collecting $707,400 of the $957,400 purse, ran 1 1/4 miles in 2:01 1/5, sixth-fastest in Derby history and the best since Spend A Buck’s 2:00 1/5 in 1985. Thunder Gulch is the first horse to win a Derby from outside the No. 15 post position since Gato Del Sol, who was No. 18 in 1982.

Serena’s Song, ridden by Corey Nakatani, was able to make the lead despite her No. 13 post. The pace was blistering, and as the horses moved down the backstretch, Lukas, watching from a box seat, turned to a friend and said: “Timber Country is having trouble in traffic, Serena’s Song is going too fast to last. Thunder Gulch is going to win the Kentucky Derby.”

The first half-mile was run in :45 4/5. Spend A Buck ran that fast the year he won, but his was the fastest opening half-mile for the Derby in 23 years.

“I had pressure all the way, and she wasn’t able to get a breather,” Nakatani said of Serena’s Song. “We went too fast, and by the time we got to the quarter pole, she was tired.”

Thunder Gulch and Stevens were content to run behind the killing fractions, in fifth place. Coming out of the far turn, Serena’s Song was still on the lead but gasping, and Talkin Man was inside of her, next to the fence, looking ready to pounce. But just as Talkin Man went to the lead at the head of the stretch, Thunder Gulch made his surge on the outside. Stevens was into him with the whip even then.

“My horse did something that he’s never done before,” said Mike Smith, who rode Talkin Man. “Instead of relaxing, he reacted to the horses inside him going down the backside and started lugging in. Why he did that, I have no idea.”

Jerry Bailey, aboard Tejano Run, had ridden Thunder Gulch once as a 2-year-old and was surprised that the colt had enough left for the 1,234 1/2-foot stretch at Churchill Downs.

“Turning for home, I thought I could win,” Bailey said. “I didn’t think that Thunder Gulch would kick on. My horse had been sick earlier this year, and he started weakening at the eighth pole. He was probably one race away from being at his very best.”

Pat Day, aboard Timber Country, was following Tejano Run, but the going was dicey where they were, and Bailey’s mount scraped the fence leaving the turn. “With 19 horses, you’ve got to have luck,” Day said. “It’s a credit to my horse’s ability that he finished as good as he did. Eventually there were openings, but I had to ease him through because it was so tight. I could have put more pressure on the winner if I had had a clearer shot from the quarter pole to the wire.”

Many of this year’s Derby horses had been passed around before they landed here, and Thunder Gulch was part of that group.

Bred by Peter Brant, who raced Gulch, the colt was sold as a yearling for $40,000. There was an attempt to sell him at auction as a 2-year-old, but Ken Ellenberg withdrew the colt when the bidding stalled. Michael Tabor, acting on the advice of Demi O’Byrne, an Irish veterinarian and friend, bought his Derby winner after he had won one of three starts for trainer John Kimmel, including a second in the Cowdin Stakes at Aqueduct. The sale price has been reported to be $200,000.

Thunder Gulch ran a bad race in his first start for Tabor, finishing fourth in the Nashua Stakes. “Then he won the Remsen,” Tabor said, “and I went from an idiot to a genius.”

Thunder Gulch was sort of an outcast during Derby week at the Lukas barn, where he was upstaged by Serena’s Song and Timber Country. People were wearing Serena’s Song and Timber Country baseball caps, but there were no Thunder Gulch caps around. Timber Country had earned $1 million and was last year’s champion 2-year-old male, and Serena’s Song went into the Derby with a five-race winning streak and earnings of $1.2 million.

“We still liked Thunder Gulch,” Lukas said. “It was just that he was standing between the ballerina and the champion.”