Steve's new cover article re: Funny Cide
 

Steve,

What a great piece here on the front page welcoming the visitors re: Funny Cide. It is heartening to look back on what just one horse can do for one person in one moment in time. 2003 is when I fell in love with racing and it was because of this horse. I was one of the hundreds of thousands standing soaked in the pouring rain in NY on Belmont day, and loved every second of it, even though he couldn't pull it off.

If we can thank Funny Cide for your talent being brought to the forefront and the website, and the Sirius show...we owe FC more than originally thought :cool:

I agree. I never appreciated Funny Cide in that same kind of way -- but everyone has their story, and everyone has their horse that really ignites the fire for racing when it was only sparks before. There is always that horse that just sets you off completely, whether it's for Steve wanting to become a racing journalist and seeing Funny Cide as his spark to tell him that it was possible, or for a kid just into college seeing a gray mare named Mckinney storm down the center of the Arlington track that makes you fall in love and realize that you're stuck with this game no matter what.

Another great piece.

The nice thing about Funny Cide, which often people forget, is that he was actually a very fast horse. He wasn't some hyped horse because of his story. He could run with the best of them. His figures from the time of the Wood through the Preakness were awesome. A truly talented horse that peaked at the perfect time. I think Empire Maker was probably the better of the two but FC beat him when it counted on Derby Day.

Great write up Steve. I went back & watched a replay of the Derby on youtube. What an overlay FC was that day. People wrote him off after losing by only a half length to Empire Maker in the Wood...big mistake.

BRAVO! BRAVO!

At the risk of sounding like a big dork, that brought tears to my eyes. Inspiration can spring anywhere...

Thanks again for another lovely piece of writing.

Me too :o Anybody that's spent time with me at the racetrack knows I get emotional at times (as 'Seek can attest to) and other than Smarty Jones the following year I don't think I've ever gotten more excited in ANY race than when the "gutsy gelding" hit the front (even though I had selected Peace Rules.)

Great article, Steve.

I gotta give Ray Kerrison from the New York Post a lot of credit, he was behind this horse for a long time and I'll never forget Derby Day the back page of the Post was a huge picture of FC with a caption something like "don't forget about the NYB" and I got back on him for my backup selection because of that.

Me too.

Everytime I get DQ'd I jump up and down and start crying.

I don't know what you are talking about...you should change your screen name to philcoolasacucumberski :D

One more week till you get to witness my carnage again :D

All,

Thanks very much.. I didn't want to get into 'what could have been' with Funny Cide, but I will say that I thought that running in the '03 BCC destroyed any chance he had at being a great horse beyond his Classic exploits. He was basically in training for three straight years without a significant break. That mistake belongs squarely on the ownership.

I also will say that Sackatoga's shameless merchandising nonsense involved added to the scenario. Had Tagg been allowed to make all the calls with him, he might have had an exceptional career. Then there's also the matter of the Miami Herald's complicity in helping ruin his chances at a Triple Crown with their buzzer stupidity after Derby. That influenced how Santos rode him hard to wire in the Preakness when he could have jogged. Coupled with the crazy Belmont workout where Robin Smullen couldn't control him, and 'good bye' Triple Crown.

But for those two weeks in May '03, he couldn't have been better, and that's frequently enough to stamp a horse's passport to fame. I'll always appreciate him and that spring...

Yes that was a wonderful read. I remember those days Steve... :)

Here's a question that will inspire some discussion.

Is he the greatest NY Bred of all time?

I can make an argument for one and only one, the legendary Fourstardave, to be ahead of him- however Fourstar did not win a G1 and Funny had 3.

Thanks for saying a little more here...I didn't want to drag my own opinions, similar to yours, into the thread after such a well written piece. It is much better to look back at those weeks from the Wood to the Belmont that year.

Sadly, everything after that was mismanaged up and down, starting with the Breeders Cup at Santa Anita. As much as I like to look at the greatness the horse acheived, it is hard to ignore the what ifs. I had a chance to meet the Sackatoga people when Funny Cide came to the Mass Cap in 2004. Really nice guys, but as much as they made the horse's story captivating with the average guys, yellow bus deal, I really wish the horse had some behind the scenes owner, that knew best to defer to the trainer, because as you say, the story could have been that much greater.

Thanks again.

another great story mr. byk. and i, for one, am glad your pecadilloes are in order!!

Leo O'Brien certainly did a great job over the years with FSD

My funny Funny Cide story
 

At least we thought it was funny. My friends and I were coming home from Keeneland on a Sunday, and standing there in Blue Grass Field Airport was Jose Santos. We asked him why he was flying back to New York, was everything okay? He said he had to work a horse for Barclay Tagg. He said it could be his Derby horse. He said he was a nice NY bred called Funny Cide.

Ho ho said the boys from New York, a NY bred winning the Derby.

Ho ho said the NY bred that won the Derby!!!

Watch the 2004 Suburban to get a look at how good and fast he was. 3/4's in 1:09 and he loses by two noses. A very underrated horse.

In reading the book on Funny Cide that I got for Christmas, I was wondering about the handling by the owners vs. what Tagg would've wanted. Seemed like he told some owner to take their horse to Lukas if they wanted whatever it was done differently--they did and the horse went on to be a big winner I believe. Anyway, could Barclay just not bring himself to say "shove it" to Sackatoga 100% of the time he might've wanted to because he didn't wanna lose FC? Did he put his foot down only as much as he could without rubbing them the wrong way? I just thought it was a curious dichotomy with how he seemed to be with others prior to getting Funny Cide. The 'don't compromise me, I know how to train a horse and you need to let me do it or you can take your horse elsewhere' Barclay.

Once again you work magic with words that few can. Great read, no, fantastic read.

I can remember when Steve wrote more frequently. Don't blame him for not. Glad he took th time to write about Funy Cide.

I have to take issue with the "juicy" trifecta. For a Ky Derby, the $664 tri was weak. Mostly because the real smart players through Empire Maker out.
:o

Probably, yes. I had forgotten he was the FIRST American-trained horse to win a European classic, which I'd say is a big deal. He also won the Baruch TWICE, and his big bro's race (the Daryl's Joy nee Fourstardave) a couple times. 4Star meant so much to me, which is probably why I forgot about little bro.

I also contend Commentator could have been #1 but he just can't stay healthy enough.

I write these days as often as time allows and when I have something I believe I can do justice to on the keyboard. I'd like to be getting something out weekly, but it just hasn't been possible..

Having it 5X made the trifecta in the '03 Derby juicy for Barry Frey and I who split tickets. The sidebar on it was that Barry wanted to play the Super, and I demured towards tri only.. We used Cide, Empire Maker, Peace Rules, Atswhatimtalknbout and Buddy Gil.. and of course had the Super if we had played it.

Just got a chance to read it for the first time. A great article with a great story and all together just a great piece of writing. Thanks for posting that Steve!

Funny Cide's life as a pony
 

Funny Cide at Saratoga, as a pony:

http://racing.bloodhorse.com/viewstory.asp?id=39916

I think giving the nickname "The Gutsy Gelding" to Funny Cide is the most ridiculous thing ever. What in the word did he ever do to resemble any type of guts!!! Sure he won the Derby and Preakness but so has many other horses. We don't her people referring to Real Quiet as the "Gutsy Fish" or War Emblem as the "Gutsy Colt." Just absurd to give this horse a nickname like that. I would prefer something like the Fabulous Funny Cide or the "Wonderful Gelding."

Thanks
 

I usually check Blood Horse every day, but got distracted today. Thanks for posting this article. Maybe I'll get to see him while I'm visiting SWLY.

seems all geldings who make a huge name, stick around for a while, get labelled a gutsy gelding. dammed alliteration. perfect drift gets called the same thing.