D. Wayne Lukas thought that his best shots for the 1995 Triple Crown, was Serena's Song, along with her ownershipmate Timber Country. The latter had won the BC Juvenile the year before and the former had defeated males in the Spiral Stakes. However, it was his FL Derby winner Thunder Gulch who won the Roses. The chances for a Triple Crown where evaporated when Timber Country won the Preakness with Thunder Gulch finishing third. Still the son of Gulch went to the Belmont as the favorite. Others in the race included Star Standard who was ninth to TG in the FL Derby and would finish second in the Woodward to Cigar and eventually win the Pimlico Special; Wild Syn who defeated TG in the Bluegrass thus making him a longshot for the Derby.
Ridden by Gary Stevens, Thunder Gulch sat in 4th and 3rd most of the race before taking the lead in the stretch to win by 2 lengths. Lukas became the first trainer to win all three races the same year with two different horses. Here is that race:
Thunder Gulch would go onto win the Travers on his way to being named the 1995 3yo Champion Male. He stands at Coolmore's KY operation Ashford Stud. Among his most successful foals include the Hall of Famer Point Given, BC Distaff winner Spain, G1 winners Balance (best known these days as Zenyatta's big sister), and Circlar Quey (who was trained by former Lukas assistant Todd Pletcher). Star Standard who finished second was sadly euthanized in 1997 from laminitis after being a DNF in his final race.
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