Kentucky Derby, Preakness winner Funny Cide remembered

Inside Jack Knowlton’s downtown Saratoga Springs office, there’s no shortage of pictures from one of the wildest rides of his life, courtesy of a horse named Funny Cide.

“I’ve probably watched the race 100 times, 200 times, I mean it never gets old,” said Knowlton, the managing partner of Sackatoga Stable, who owned Funny Cide. “At about the 16th pole, I’m chanting to my wife ‘we’re going to win the … Kentucky Derby.’ ”

The gutsy gelding, with 12-1 odds, become the first New York-bred horse to win the “Run for the Roses” in 2003 with jockey Jose Santos on board. Funny Cide followed that up with a win in the Preakness Stakes before coming up just short of the Triple Crown, finishing third in the Belmont Stakes.

Funny Cide passed away over the weekend at age 23 at the Kentucky Horse Park, where he’s been in retirement.

“Knowing the impact he had on so many people, and not just racing people, I mean common people that fell in love with horse racing because of him, that gives us a lot of gratitude for what he accomplished,” Knowlton said.

He was one of 10 partners with Sackatoga Stable at the time. On Sunday morning, he got the news the horse who captured the hearts of fans worldwide died from colic complications.

“It was sadness,” Knowlton said. “I mean, he did so much for me personally, and for Sackatoga Stables.”

“At first I thought, ‘gosh, I thought he would live to be 30,’ and I really did,” said Robin Smullen, the assistant trainer for Barclay Tagg Racing Stable. “But nothing lasts forever, and he lived a really, really good life after he left us.”

Smullen and Barclay Tagg trained Funny Cide. At first, Tagg overlooked the gelding. But after a few workouts, he saw the potential. So much so, Tagg did something he almost never does: bet on the Kentucky Derby.

“I never bet,” Tagg said. “And I haven’t bet since.”

“Barclay has bet twice in the 27 years I’ve known him,” Smullen said. “That and one other time.”

Funny Cide rewarded him with a couple hundred dollars and his first Triple Crown race win. The pair say his toughness made him an iron horse, making their journey together challenging but fun.

“He was a big, strong, powerful horse, and you had to be strong to ride him, strong to put up with him, and strong to do anything with him,” Tagg said.

Funny Cide’s success put the New York breeding program on the map. In addition, he became the face of Sackatoga Stable, helping it attract close to 100 owners today. The 2003 Kentucky Derby winner created memories and impacts still being felt.

“That is the be all and end all of thoroughbred racing,” said Knowlton, referring to the Kentucky Derby. “There’s one every year, you only get one chance. So to be able to say at that point there were 129, so I think now there are 149, it’s a pretty select club.”