Gulch, the six-time Grade 1-winning son of Mr. Prospector, arrived 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.”