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CHAMPION
STAKES-WINNER GULCH TO RETIRE AT OLD FRIENDS
A
press release from Old Friends
GEORGETOWN,
KY—DECEMBER 22, 2009—Gulch, the six-time Grade
1-winning son of Mr. Prospector, will arrive today at Old
Friends, the Thoroughbred Retirement Facility in Georgetown,
KY, where he will permanently retire. The 25-year-old stallion
has stood at William S. Farish’s Lane’s End Farm
near Versailles, KY since leaving racing in 1988. He was
pensioned from stud duty just this year.
Gulch
(Mr. Prospector–Jameela by Rambunctious) was owned and
bred by Peter M. Brant and trained by Hall-of-Famers LeRoy
Jolley and D. Wayne Lukas. He retired with 13 wins from 32
starts and career earnings of over $3 million.
As
a two-year-old, the dark bay captured five starts, including
the GR1 Hopeful Stakes at Saratoga. As a dazzling
three-year-old he claimed the GR1 Bay Shore Stakes at Aqueduct
and the GR1 Wood Memorial at Belmont, making him a top
contender in the 1987 Kentucky Derby.
At
four, with new trainer Lukas, Gulch went on to win the
Metropolitan Handicap and the Carter Handicap (both GR1), and
capped the year with a victory in the 1988 Breeders’ Cup
Sprint, which helped him earn the Eclipse Award for Champion
Sprinter.
He
now joins Old Friends’s other Eclipse winners Black Tie
Affair, The Wicked North, Hidden Lake, and Sunshine Forever.
A
leading stallion at Lane’s End, Gulch’s progeny
have been outstanding. They include 1995 Kentucky Derby,
Belmont Stakes, and Travers winner Thunder Gulch, Bluegrass
Stakes winner The Cliff's Edge, and Super Derby winner
Wallenda, who was retired at Old Friends in 2007 after
returning from stud duty in Japan.
“When
Lane’s End announced Gulch’s retirement, I called
the farm and explained we would be thrilled to have him,”
said Old Friends founder and president Michael Blowen. “I
know his legion of fans would love to visit him here. Lane’s
End has their lovely facility and a professional staff to give
Gulch a great home, but we’re overjoyed that he’s
coming.
“Lane’s
End has contributed significantly to Old Friends ever since we
started,” Blowen continued, “but Gulch is one of
the greatest contributions we’ve ever received. It’ll
be great to have him in a paddock next to Commentator.”
“Gulch
has had a long and wonderful career here,” said Bill
Farish, a principal of Lane’s End Farm. “We wanted
to make sure that he was well taken care of in his retirement
and we thought our nearby neighbor Old Friends would be a
great place for him.”
Farish
added that Gulch’s popularity with fans influenced the
farm’s decision to send him to Old Friends, which is
open to tourists daily.
“He was a
horse that was well known to the public having been through
the Triple Crown trail and having been a top two-year-old and
a champion sprinter,” said Farish. “He was a horse
that people always wanted to see. Plus, he’s kind of a
ham, and he will enjoy the attention immensely.”
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