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Funny Cide to Kentucky Horse Park

Funny Cide will now be able to hold court for his legions of fans (Michael J. Marten/Horsephotos.com) The Kentucky Horse Park announced on Wednesday that champion and dual classic winner FUNNY CIDE (Distorted Humor) will become its newest resident on December 5. The 2003 Kentucky Derby (G1) and Preakness S. (G1) hero will join 1987 Derby and Preakness winner, Alysheba, who came to the park in October. Funny Cide was bred by William Casner and Kenny Troutt's WinStar Farm in a collaborative venture with McMahon Thoroughbreds of Saratoga Springs, New York, where he was foaled, raised and then sold as a yearling for $22,000 at the August 2001 Fasig-Tipton New-York Bred Preferred Yearlings Sale. He was later purchased privately as a two-year old by Sackatoga Stable for $75,000. For them he went on to earn $3,529,412 and an Eclipse Award as champion three-year-old male, becoming the highest-earning New York-bred in history. Trained throughout his career by Barclay Tagg, he enjoyed many of his greatest successes with jockey Jose Santos. His nine stakes wins also included the prestigious Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1). Funny Cide went out on a high note, scoring in the Wadsworth Memorial H. at Finger Lakes on July 4, 2007. "Funny Cide will be a welcome addition to our Hall of Champions," said John Nicholson, executive director of the Kentucky Horse Park. "He was one of those rare horses who captured the public's imagination while he was on the track and continues to have a significant following of loyal fans. He is quite a young horse, so we hope the public will visit him often and get to know him over the coming years, and develop a special relationship with him the way they have so many of our other resident champions. We are honored that Funny Cide's connections recognized the Kentucky Horse Park as a good fit for their horse and his fans."

"The 10 owners of Funny Cide are truly honored that the Kentucky Horse Park has invited him to reside in its Hall of Champions," said Jack Knowlton, managing partner of Sackatoga Stable. "We are pleased that his large fan base will have an opportunity to visit him at this wonderful facility not too far from his greatest triumph."

"Funny Cide helped put WinStar Farm on the map, because he proved we could breed a top horse, and that we were willing to sell our best to promote our stallions," WinStar Farm President Doug Cauthen said. "He was the first classic winner for his sire Distorted Humor, who is the foundation stallion at WinStar Farm, and who has proven to be one of the top sires in the world. Watching Funny Cide win the Kentucky Derby was a surreal moment, and a game-changing event for WinStar Farm. We owe him big!"

Since his retirement as a race horse in 2007, the eight-year-old gelding has been used as Tagg's stable pony on the track.

"The rigors of racing and training for several years have started to cause him mild discomfort recently as he continued working on a regular basis as my stable pony," Tagg said. "So, now the time has come, as he is turning nine years old, to really retire."

"We have been fortunate and very blessed to have had Funny Cide in our lives," assistant trainer Robin Smullen said. "He has changed people's perspective about horse racing. Realistically, he is a once in a lifetime horse and now he will be able to touch other people's lives in his retirement. We will miss him dearly in our daily schedule."

Funny Cide has his own website, FunnyCide.com, and a fan club.

The public is invited to the Kentucky Horse Park for Funny Cide's Welcome Reception on December 5 at 2 p.m. (EST). It is included with park admission. For more information contact the Kentucky Horse Park at (859) 233-4303 or log onto www.KyHorsePark.com.

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