NEW KENT -- Gio Ponti and Garrett Gomez captured the lead in the Virginia Derby at the top of the stretch, but Kent Desormeaux and Court Vision were unrelenting on the rail.

The two horses came banging down to a photo finish, with Gio Ponti ahead by a nose before a record Derby crowd of 9,061 at Colonial Downs.

"Right at the quarter pole is where we really started accelerating," Gomez said. "And you know everybody -- nobody is holding anything back and it's time to go. Everybody is looking for room and finding a lane."

Gomez has "Go-Go" stitched in black script on the waistband of his pants, but with a mile remaining he was buried in third, steadying his horse repeatedly behind Baltimore Bob and Old Man Buck. He took the horse four wide out of the turn. Desormeaux went three wide, and the two brushed their way past the five-sixteenths pole, then bumped again down the stretch.

"He tried to push his way out and find a lane," Gomez said. "And he wasn't going to push his lane out between me and the other horse. So he had to wait on me and wait and come around, and it was a critical time. Anytime in a race where you have to check or get bounced around is critical."

The lightly raced Gio Ponti came into yesterday the winner of three out of four starts but had a seven-month layoff before winning the Grade III Hill Prince Stakes in his only race this year. Court Vision had made twice that many starts, and Gomez was aboard for the last four, including the Kentucky Derby (Gr. I) and the Colonial Turf Cup (Gr. III). Trainer Bill Mott had sent Court Vision to Colonial Downs last month for a run over firm ground, but a sudden downpour didn't favor the horse.

"Both of us were looking for firm ground and today he got his firm ground," Gomez said. "When I seen him down inside there and he was still traveling well, I knew we were going to have our hands full."

Sailor's Cap was a slight favorite over Gio Ponti after winning the Colonial Turf Cup a month ago. He gave chase at the top of the stretch, but Alan Garcia never was able to make a real challenge to the leaders.

The turf was listed as firm and the official temperature was 89 degrees, although the heat index was much higher. Gio Ponti shipped out Thursday night late instead of Friday morning to try to avoid the heat of being on a van during the day. But assistant trainer Ben Colebrook said the horse's natural calm helped keep him cool.

"He's just so classy acting, in the barn, in the stall, riding him, he just always seems like nothing bothers him," Colebrook said.

Trainer Christophe Clement did not make the trip from New York. Colebrook said Gio Ponti appeared to come back clean and sound after the physical stretch run.

"I always thought we looked like the winner, but I was worried what toll it took at the top of the stretch, the bumping had on him because he did get hit pretty good," Colebrook said. "Sometimes when they get hit like that they lose a little bit of momentum, you always wonder. But he's just such a game horse. He's so classy and handles everything so well."