BALTIMORE (AP) – Curlin nipped Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense by putting his head in front on the final stride, winning the Preakness Stakes in a riveting finish Saturday and ending any chance for a Triple Crown this year.

Street Sense seemed to have the race won after another of his patented rallies, taking the lead in the stretch under the guidance of Calvin Borel. But under a fierce ride by Robby Albarado, Curlin snatched away the victory.

With Street Sense in his sights, Curlin relentlessly narrowed the margin with every stride. Albarado, sensing the Derby winner was his, went into an all-out drive for the finish, furiously whipping the big chestnut colt in one of the most thrilling Preakness finishes in years.

Two races earlier, Albarado was thrown from his mount but walked away unhurt.

Though a horse had to be euthanized in that race, it was the only sad note on a day that crackled with excitement – in stark contrast to the horror of Barbaro’s breakdown last year.

The winning time was a blazing 1:53.46, which equaled the stakes record of 1:53 2/5, according to Pimlico offcials. Louis Quatorze in 1996 and Tank’s Prospect in 1985 won in 1:53 2/5.

It all started with a stumble.

Curlin, who finished third in the Derby, was well back in the field of nine after a slight stumble out of the gate. As Hard Spun swung into the lead with a three-wide move, Street Sense started to roll under Borel.

Street Sense went to the outside in the stretch and moved into the lead, and the record crowd of 121,263 began cheering in anticipation of a Triple Crown bid in the making.

But Curlin came flying along the far outside, and took dead aim at the Derby winner. He caught him on the final jump and, just like that, Street Sense was a beaten horse.

Just barely.

“I thought I had a different horse the first quarter of mile,” Albarado said after his first Preakness victory. “He started a 2-year-old and finished a 5-year-old.”

Borel, who was so masterful in guiding Street Sense past 19 rivals and a Derby victory by 2 1/4 lengths, thought he had another victory when he broke clear of the field.

“I thought I was home free,” Borel said. “He came and got me. No excuses.”

Carl Nafzger, who trained Street Sense, put it a tad differently.

“Heartbreaking, that’s what it was,” Nafzger said. “We only needed a nose. Curlin ran a hell of a race, but we had Curlin. We should never have let him come back and get us.

“When you open up a lead and have two lengths of daylight you’re supposed to win the horse race. Other horses wouldn’t have never tried that last kick like Curlin did.”

Curlin, sent of the 3-1 second choice, returned $8.80, $3.80 and $2.80. Street Sense, the 6-5 favorite, returned $3 and $2.40. Hard Spun was third and paid $3.

The same three horses were the top three in the Derby – Street Sense, Hard Spun and Curlin, who was nearly eight lengths behind the winner.

C P West was fourth, followed by Circular Quay, King of the Roxy, Mint Slewlep, Xchanger and Flying First Class.

Two races before the Preakness, in the Dixie Stakes, Albarado was thrown from his mount, Einstein, when another horse broke down and had to be euthanized on the track.

The tragedy harkened back to last year’s Preakness when Derby winner Barbaro broke down seconds after the start and, after months of treatment, was finally euthanized in January.

His memory lives on with the Barbaro Stakes, and the winner provided a bittersweet reunion for Barbaro’s co-owners and trainer in the winner’s circle.

Chelokee, the overwhelming favorite, won easily. The colt is trained by Michael Matz, who trained Barbaro. Matz accepted the victory trophy from Gretchen and Roy Jackson, the fallen horse’s co-owners.

Another year without a Triple Crown

Carl Nafzger stood alone outside the stakes barn at Pimlico Race Course, oblivious to the raindrops falling on his gray hair and maroon suit jacket.

The trainer of Street Sense had every right to be disappointed, maybe even bitter. His horse had taken the lead down the stretch in Saturday’s Preakness Stakes before being overtaken at the wire by Curlin.

By the length of a horse’s head, Nafzger’s bid to win the Triple Crown was over.

At first he called the defeat “heartbreaking,” lamenting, “We had Curlin. We should have never let him come back and get us.”

About 30 minutes later, he had calmed down.

“My horse ran great. I got outran. That’s horse racing,” Nafzger said. “If you can’t enjoy watching a $5,000 claimer give you 110 percent, you shouldn’t be in the horse business.”

Then he paused for an instant and added, “Maybe he gave me 105. But Curlin (gave) 110. You have to enjoy watching Curlin run.”

The Derby crowd certainly enjoyed watching Street Sense run, especially his roaring move from next-to-last in a 20-horse field to win by 2 1/4 lengths.

And, for a time, it looked as if he’d have this race wrapped up, too, with jockey Calvin Borel moving him from eighth to first at the top of the stretch.

But Curlin summoned up one last surge and won the race on the final stride.

“I thought it was all over. When you open up a lead and have two lengths of daylight, you’re supposed to win the horse race,” Nafzger said.

“Other horses wouldn’t have never tried that last kick like Curlin did.”

Borel said he thought it was over “when I got by Hard Spun turning for home. He just got to gawking 40 yards from home and got outrun.”

Perhaps therein lies Street Sense’s lone flaw: the failure to realize that a race isn’t over until the winner crosses the finish line. After the colt passed the field and saw nothing but empty space ahead, he apparently let up.

“When my horse gets to the lead, he’s just sort of happy. He won’t quit running, but he’s not intense,” Nafzger said. “And Curlin ran an unbelievable perfect race today.”

Especially over the final 100 yards.

“It was almost a match race at the end. One champion and another potential champion,” one of Curlin’s owners, Jess Jackson, said. “Street Sense deserves a lot of credit.”

Maybe so, but that won’t get him a Triple Crown.

“You always want to go to the ultimate, but at the same time there are a lot of things more important in life than the Triple Crown,” Nafzger said. “I’m just happy to have a horse like this. Look, I’ve got a horse that broke the Breeders’ Cup juvenile jinx, won the Kentucky Derby and never been beaten by more than a nose in his last five outs.”

Asked about going to the Belmont Stakes in three weeks, Nafzger said, “What’s the point?”

But he can’t wait for Street Sense and Curlin to meet again. Street Sense has finished in the money in every one of his nine career races, and Curlin has won four of five.

“The only guy to beat Curlin is me,” Nafzger said. “Curlin’s going to get better as he gets experience. It’s going to be interesting to see what happens down the road. I think we’ve got a great challenge going.

“Curlin ran a heck of a race today,” Nafzger said, “but I’ll beat him next time.”

AP-ES-05-19-07 2114EDT