Funny Cide

Without question, one of the most popular racehorses to take the track in the modern era is Funny Cide. Foaled on April 20, 2000, Funny Cide captured the hearts of race fans all over the world with a legendary run at the Triple Crown in 2003. Although Funny Cide fell short of making Triple Crown history, the fan favorite did become the first horse bred in New York to win the Kentucky Derby. He went on the win the Preakness Stakes before Funny Cide’s greatest rival, Empire Maker, overcame him in the Belmont Stakes. Another interesting bit of information regarding Funny Cide is that he was a gelding. He was the first gelding to win the Kentucky Derby since 1929.

WinStar Farm is credited as Funny Cide’s breeder, and he was foaled at McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds in Saratoga Springs, New York. His New York-bred status concerns his registered foaling and program eligibility; it should not be confused with the location of his breeder’s headquarters. His sire was the outstanding Distorted Humor. At the time of Funny Cide’s foaling, Distorted Humor was not known to be a stellar sire. Since that time his offspring have performed remarkably well, making Distorted Humor one of the most sought after sires of the modern era. Other notable offspring include Drosselmeyer, Flower Alley, and Commentator. At the time Funny Cide was bred, the stud fee for Distorted Humor was a mere $12,500. After Funny Cide’s success, the fee rose as high as $300,000. Funny Cide was placed in a consignment sale at Saratoga. He sold to Tony Everard for $22,000 at the yearling sale, before Sackatoga acquired him as a two-year-old through Barclay Tagg. The New York Thoroughbred Breeders’ retrospective records that sequence; a sale price alone does not establish one medical reason for the valuation.

The unbeaten two-year-old season

In 2002, Funny Cide was ready for racing. The riding duties were handed to jockey Jose Santos, a journeyman on the New York circuit. Funny Cide won his debut at Belmont Park by an astounding 14 ¾ lengths, a feat that immediately put him on the radar of many trainers and race fans. Just three weeks later, Funny Cide’s owners decided to test him in the Bertram F. Bongard Stakes at Belmont. Once again, the gelding demolished his competition and the die was being cast for a shot at the Triple Crown. Funny Cide had earned a huge 103 Beyer Speed Figure in the race, a striking performance indicator that still needs its race, scale and date attached when making comparisons.

The road to the 2003 Classics

Another stakes win followed and Santos made no secret of the fact that he thought Funny Cide was Kentucky Derby material. Yet, even though Funny Cide garnered the honor of New York-bred Champion Two-Year-Old for his performances, no one seemed to be taking the horse seriously. That began to change in the early months of 2003. His early season included an unplaced Holy Bull effort at Gulfstream and a second-place finish in the Louisiana Derby at Fair Grounds, but in the Wood Memorial he would face his greatest rival for the first time. Empire Maker was entering the race off of a big win in the Florida Derby and many were already mentioning him as the probable Kentucky Derby favorite. He did not disappoint in the Wood Memorial, defeating Funny Cide by ½ length. It was Funny Cide, however, that many people believed ran the better race that day. The stage was set for the rivals to meet in Kentucky.

In the 2003 Kentucky Derby, Funny Cide defeated Empire Maker by 1 ¾ lengths, as recorded in the Kentucky Derby historical chart. Two weeks later, in a race beset by drama that included Empire Maker backing out of the race and then backing in again before coming out for good, Funny Cide took the track in the Preakness Stakes on a cold and wet day to win by 9 ¾ lengths, a decisive winning margin in the Preakness. His Beyer Speed Figure was 114. Going into the Belmont Stakes, hopes were high that Funny Cide would break the drought of many years and capture the Triple Crown.

Belmont and the later racing career

Empire Maker returned in the Belmont to challenge a battle-weary Funny Cide and ultimately spoil his chances for a Triple Crown. Ten Most Wanted was second. Funny Cide could only manage a third place finish, but the battling gelding had won America’s hearts.  He was rested for a couple of months and then made his return in August for the Haskell and again finished third. A ninth place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Classic did little to diminish his achievements, and Funny Cide was named 3 Year-Old Male of the Year at the Eclipse Awards. Funny Cide continued to compete with moderate success until being retired in July of 2007.

Funny Cide is a somewhat rare occupant of a place in the annals of Triple Crown history. He never again achieved the greatness he did in the summer of 2003, but for those blissful few months he was America’s favorite horse. Crowds showed up in droves wherever he ran and cheered for a horse they perceived to be the underdog. Many of them could relate to Funny Cide the way people during the Great Depression were able to relate to Seabiscuit.

Retirement and remembrance

In retirement as a gelding, there were no fancy breeding sheds waiting for the former champion. Thanks to his popularity, however, Funny Cide was welcomed into residence at the famed Kentucky Horse Park. Upon the death of the legendary Cigar in 2014, Funny Cide was given his stall and paddock. This was a gesture of respect that validated Funny Cide’s place among horseracing’s royalty. He earned $3,529,412 in his racing career, the New York-bred career earnings record at his retirement in 2007. Saratoga has honored him with the Funny Cide Stakes. He died on July 16, 2023, aged 23; the Kentucky Horse Park’s memorial account records his years at the Hall of Champions from 2008.

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Funny Cide’s Legacy as a People’s Champion

Funny Cide’s appeal went far beyond his racing results, touching something genuine in the American sporting public that the sport’s more glamorous champions sometimes fail to reach. A gelding owned by a small partnership of New York schoolmates, trained by Barclay Tagg, and ridden by Jose Santos, he represented the antithesis of the wealthy commercial operations that dominate modern thoroughbred racing at the highest levels. His 2003 Kentucky Derby and Preakness victories — and his near-miss at the Belmont where a Triple Crown would have been historic — generated enthusiasm from people who had never previously followed horse racing.

His story demonstrated that racing’s emotional power does not depend on pedigree or financial scale. The underdog narrative, the small-town ownership group cheering their horse on, and the transparent joy of everyone involved created a connection with the public that transcended the sport’s usual boundaries. For the racing industry, Funny Cide’s moment was a reminder of what the sport can be when it connects with mainstream audiences — and a template for how stories, not just racing, build fan engagement. For more on great American racehorses and their stories, our article on the 12 greatest race horses of all time covers the champions across eras. And our guide to the Triple Crown explained provides the context for his near-historic 2003 campaign.

Funny Cide’s career at a glance

The short Triple Crown sequence should not erase the rest of his career, including the 2004 Jockey Club Gold Cup. Equally, a later defeat does not change a completed Classic victory. Keep individual race results, seasonal awards and lifetime earnings in separate categories when comparing his achievements with other popular champions.