GETTING LAST LAUGH FUNNY CIDE STUNS FAVORED EMPIRE MAKER.Byline: Kevin Modesti Staff Writer LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The next time Empire Maker chases a horse like Funny Cide into the homestretch home·stretch n. 1. The portion of a racetrack from the last turn to the finish line. 2. Informal The final stages of an undertaking. Noun 1. of a big race, a royally bred colt from the bluegrass bluegrass, any species of the large and widely distributed genus Poa, chiefly range and pasture grasses of economic importance in temperate and cool regions. In general, bluegrasses are perennial with fine-leaved foliage that is bluish green in some species. in pursuit of a gelding gelding castrated male horse. out of nowhere, he'll probably go by and win. It happened that way the other time Empire Maker and Funny Cide met, in a big race called the Wood Memorial. Empire Maker probably will go on to be a top thoroughbred worthy of his pedigree, his jockey, his trainer, his owner and his hype. But he will never be a household name. He will never get the biggest race of them all. He will never be the Kentucky Derby Kentucky Derby One of the classic U.S. Thoroughbred horse races. It was established in 1875 and run annually on the first Saturday in May at Churchill Downs track in Louisville, Ky. With the Preakness and the Belmont Stakes, it makes up U.S. racing's coveted Triple Crown. winner that most of a crowd of 148,530 at Churchill Downs Churchill Downs, Ky.: see Louisville. expected him to be. Those honors went to Funny Cide, whose 1 3/4-length victory over Empire Maker on Saturday gave jockey Jose Santos, trainer Barclay Tagg Barclay Tagg (born December 30, 1937 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania) is an American Thoroughbred horse trainer. A 1961 graduate of Pennsylvania State University with a degree in Animal Husbandry, he is best known for conditioning Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and Jockey Club Gold Cup and some small-time small·time or small-time adj. Informal Insignificant or unimportant; minor: a smalltime actor. small owners their first Kentucky Derby victories and made him the event's first-ever New York-bred winner and its first gelded geld 1 tr.v. geld·ed or gelt , geld·ing, gelds 1. To castrate (a horse, for example). 2. To deprive of strength or vigor; weaken. winner in 74 years. ``I still think I've got the better horse,'' trainer Bobby Frankel said after watching his Empire Maker barely take second over his Peace Rules, who barely kept third from Atswhatimtalknbout. ``But that doesn't change what happened,'' said Jerry Bailey, Empire Maker's jockey. What happened was that on a crisp, blue-sky day of magic for his wide-eyed owners from Saratoga Springs, N.Y., Funny Cide ran the race of his life and turned the tables on Empire Maker. The winner paid $27.60 for a $2 bet. ``He (Funny Cide) ran behind two tremendous horses in the Louisiana Derby (Peace Rules) and the Wood,'' said Jackson Knowlton, the head of the group of 10 owners that includes six Upstate New York Upstate New York is the region of New York State north of the core of the New York metropolitan area. It has a population of 7,121,911 out of New York State's total 18,976,457. Were it an independent state, it would be ranked 13th by population. high-school buddies. ``But we beat them when it really counted.'' Santa Anita Derby The Santa Anita Derby is an American Grade 1 thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds run each April at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California and carries a purse of $750,000. winner Buddy Gil finished sixth, and Ten Most Wanted was the biggest disappointment in ninth. The hopes of two powerhouse trainers went down quickly as D. Wayne Lukas' Ten Cents a Shine ran eighth and Scrimshaw scrimshaw Decoration of bone or ivory objects, such as whale's teeth and walrus tusks, with fanciful designs, traditionally carved by Anglo-American and Native American whale fishermen with a jackknife or sail needle and emphasized with black pigments (e.g., lampblack). ran 11th, and Bob Baffert's Indian Express ran 14th. It was another Derby won by the horse who was best on the day and who avoided bad luck. While Tagg said he had a flawless couple of weeks training Funny Cide at his New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of base before bringing the horse to Louisville on Wednesday, Frankel had dealt all week with the foot bruise Empire Maker suffered in the Wood and seemed to aggravate in a workout here. Although Frankel denied the injury was anything serious, the publicity probably explains why the 6-5 morning-line favorite went into the starting gate as a weaker 5-2 favorite. Did the foot cost Empire Maker the Derby? ``It might have been a little missed training that he had (that left him less fit),'' said Frankel, who was seeking his first Triple Crown race victory with the colt he trains for Saudi Arabian Prince Khalid Abdullah's Juddmonte Farms. After the foot problem was announced Tuesday, Empire Maker was restricted to walking for exercise Wednesday. He jogged Thursday. He galloped Friday. He hung in the stretch Saturday. Bailey said he sensed no distress during the race. Empire Maker started well from post 11 in the 16-horse gate and Bailey placed him eighth in the first turn, with five or six horses between him and the inside rail. He was five-wide going into the second turn when he began advancing on leaders Brancusi, Peace Rules and Funny Cide. Bailey gave Empire Maker a trip designed to save him from traffic trouble - but the ground lost on the turns might have been their undoing. ``When we turned for home, I thought we were going to win it,'' Frankel said. ``But I saw him hanging. I didn't know who the other horse (Funny Cide) was.'' Funny Cide, third along the rail early in the race, got the lead outside Peace Rules and Edgar Prado at the top of the stretch and was home free in the last 100 yards as he ran 1 1/4 miles in a fast 2:01.19. ``It was an unbelievable feeling,'' said Tagg, a former steeplechase steeplechase Either of two distinct sporting events: (1) a horse race over a closed course with obstacles, including hedges and walls; or (2) a footrace of 3,000 m over hurdles and a water jump. rider from Pennsylvania and Maryland. Frankel, whose moods had fascinated reporters all week, assured them he was ``fine'' if disappointed to lose the Derby with the horse the Hall of Famer has called the best-bred he's ever trained. ``You always prepare yourself to lose,'' Frankel said. A gelding by Distorted Humor out of Belle's Good Cide Belle's Good Cide (born 1993 - died March 8, 2003) was an Oklahoma-bred Thoroughbred racing mare. Bred by John Smicklas, she was the chestnut dam of the chestnut dual classic winner Funny Cide (by Distorted Humor). pulled off the upset. A colt by Derby winner Unbridled out of supermare Toussaud got beaten. It might never happen again, but that's small consolation for the losers. CAPTION(S): 3 photos, 2 boxes Photo: (1 -- color) Jockey Jose Santos (center) reacts after winning the Kentucky Derby for the first time aboard gelding Funny Cide. Timothy D. Easley/Associated Press (2) Jockey Jose Santos enjoys holding the bed of roses aboard Kentucky-Derby winning horse Funny Cide, a 12-1 shot. (3) From left: Funny Cide assistant trainer Robin Smullens, trainer Barclay Tagg, owners David Mahan and Jackson Knowlton (background), and jockey Jose Santos have reason to smile after their horse won the Kentucky Derby. Ed Reinke/Associated Press Box: (1) PAYOUT (2) 129th KENTUCKY DERBY RESULTS |
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