The big chestnut colt walked in the walking ring. Thousands of fans waited in the grandstands of Belmont Park. Rain had turned the track into a sea of muddy slop but it did not stop the fans from coming out to see the Triple Crown bid of Funny Cide. If he won he’d be the first gelding to win racing’s greatest honor. They were in the gate and off! But did Funny Cide win the Triple Crown?

The whole story started in New York at McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbred Farm. Born to dam Belle’s Good Cide and sired by Distorted Humor was a chestnut colt and was owned by Joe and Ann McMahon. His bloodlines were impressive and included champions such as Forty Niner, Seattle Slew, Danzig Northern Dancer, Buckpasser, and Bold Ruler. As a yearling he was sold at the Fasig Tipton New York bred yearling sale in August 2001 by Tony Evarard for only $22,000. He was gelded later that same year because of a problem that made him uncomfortable while running.

Now a 2-year old Funny Cide was sold once again to Sackatoga Stable for $75,000 in a private sale. Barclay Tagg took over the young horse’s training. In August 2002 Jose Santos, Funny Cide’s later jockey first rode the young gelding. Finally on September 8, 2002 Funny Cide made his very first start in a maiden race against New York breds. He went on to win by 15 lengths. Three weeks later the gelding made his first stakes race start. On September 29, 2002 he won the Bertram Bongard Stakes by 9 lengths once again against New York breds only. He finished his two year old season undefeated with a win on October 19, 2002 with a win in the Sleepy Hollow by only a neck against New York breds for the final time.

As a 3-year old Funny Cide was a large gelding at 16.2 hands high. His trainer and jockey had pointed the horse towards the Kentucky Derby. His first start at 3 was in the G3 Holy Bull Stakes on January 18, 2003 which was also his first race against open company and around two turns. After starting from post position 13 and running wide for the entire race he came home a beaten 5th his first loss. He improved slightly in the G2 Louisiana Derby in March finishing 3rd after a late charge on the rail. Second place finisher Kafwain was later disqualified moving Funny Cide up into second place. His first G1 start came on April 12, 2003 in which he finished 2nd by only a half length to Empire Maker.

His next start was the big one: the Kentucky Derby on May 3, 2003. He went off at odds of 13-1 meaning a $2 win bet returned $27.60. He took command at the eighth pole and never looked back winning by 1 ¾ lengths. His time was 2:01.19 the 10th fastest in Derby history. That day Funny Cide became the first gelding to win the race since Clyde Van Dusen in 1929 and the very first New York bred to win. Two weeks later Funny Cide returned for the Preakness Stakes on May 17, 2003. This time he won by 9 ¾ lengths, the second largest margin in Preakness history. He was also the seventh gelding to win the race and the 31st Kentucky Derby winner to win.

Now became the moment of truth. The third and final race in the Triple Crown and by far the hardest: the Belmont on June 7, 2003. Would Funny Cide become the first Triple Crown winner since 1978 and the first gelding ever to win the biggest honor in racing? The track was very sloppy and the rail deep and heavy after the weather proved uncooperative and rain poured onto the track for most of the day. Funny Cide finished third after traveling on the difficult surface near the rail for most of the race. Empire Maker finished first and Ten Most Wanted second with Funny Cide 5 lengths behind the leader. Though it is believed that the gelding’s difficult trip along what his jockey called a “dead rail” may have been the cause of back problems the horse experienced later in his career.

On August 3 Funny Cide was ready to make his comeback in the G1 Haskell Handicap but once again was disappointed as he finished 3rd beaten this time by 9 lengths. The next morning Funny Cide ran a fever of 102 which showed the beginning of an illness that kept him out of the Travers Stakes on August 23rd.

Funny Cide only made one more start that year. In the Breeders’ Cup at the end of October, held that year at Saratoga where wildfires had recently been burning nearby Funny Cide ran in the Classic finishing a career worst ninth place in the ten horse field though this may have been due to the smoke beginning the respiratory problems that would plague the horse throughout his four year old season.

As a four year old Funny Cide made his comeback, winning the Jockey Club Gold Cup and Excelsior Handicap. He was also second in both the Massachusetts Handicap and Saratoga Handicap and third in the Donn Handicap, New Orleans Handicap and Suburban Handicap.

At 5 the great champion was plagued with problems. During the first half of the year he raced several times in graded stakes races coming home out of the money in all of them. Eventually he was diagnosed with back problems and his trainer elected to give him the rest of the season off to recover.

At 6 it seemed that Funny Cide had recovered from his injury when he returned for victories in the G3 Dominion Day Handicap and Kings Point Handicap, second in the Excelsior Handicap which he had won at 4, and third in the G3 William D. Schaefer Handicap.

The great gelding returned for one last season in 2007. Now 7 years old he managed thirds in both the Kings Point Handicap and Wagon Limit Stakes. His very last race was the Wadsworth Handicap on July 4th, 2007. It was not until 3 weeks later that Tagg announced that Funny Cide would retire. Funny Cide retired sound with a lifetime record 38 starts, 11 wins, 6 seconds, and 8 thirds and lifetime earnings of $3,529,412, the highest amount of any New York bred horse. He had been Champion 3-Year Old of 2003 and two-time winner of the New York Horse of the Year awards.

Now it became a question on what the gelding would do. As he had been gelded the horse could not be used as a stud and Tagg did not think a pastured life would suit the horse. Eventually it was decided that Funny Cide would continue to travel around with Tagg’s racehorse barn and be used as a stable horse ponying the younger thoroughbreds around. That will be his job as long as he remains sound and enjoys his job which the gelding sure does seem to love.