Funny Cide retired
 

just heard on ATR

He went out a winner! :) I'll always be thankful of his Preakness win...it was very very good for me! :D

http://news.bloodhorse.com/viewstory.asp?id=39758

Cheers and here's to a long and happy life.....

He has done enough...

It's about time.

Glad to hear it. He deserves it.

...........

I guess it is just too hot to race now

I always liked Funny Cide

"From all reports, Funny Cide will race for a few more years and then retire to farm life. Although, as Tagg says, "I'd run him until he dies. I don't see any reason not to. He's happy. He gets a lot of care. I get some flak from people thinking I'm being cruel to him by having him still run, but I don't know what else he would do. Fight flies in a paddock somewhere? Not many horses get the attention that sucker gets, I'll tell you. He's been in a racing stable his whole life. Why would he be happier out in a field fighting flies? I don't understand that. He couldn't look any better. He couldn't get any better feed, he couldn't get any better veterinary care. He couldn't get any better attention. He's got the same groom, the same hotwalker. How could he have it any better?"

Quite a few farms have asked about him, concerned for his welfare once his racing days are done. WinStar Farm, in particular, home of his sire Distorted Humor, would be happy to give their premiere stallion's premiere son a home. Or—he could live on at the racetrack, any racetrack that Tagg and Smullen traveled to with their horses. Funny loves the races. Robin says he stands and watches them for hours. How fine it might be if he could stay near, perhaps working as a stable pony. Kelso became a jumper, Sir Barton worked for the US Army, Zippy Chippy, America's favorite horse racing loser, is now a stable pony at Finger Lakes racetrack...why not Funny remaining near his trainers and his hotwalker and all he's ever known? It depends, of course, on his owners.

Funny Cide is now a two time "New York born Horse of the Year". To date (August 2006), he has won three million four hundred and thirty two thousand dollars plus change on that $75,000 dollar investment by Sackatoga Stable. He also claims the highest earnings of any New York born in history.

Even now, after a poor health-related showing in 2005, Funny Cide's Classic Performance Index (CPI), which is calculated each year, is 46, meaning that his average earnings per start is 46 times greater than the average of all like horses. "Like" horses means horses of the same sex, horses of the same age, horses racing in the same year(s), and horses racing in the same countries."

Funny Cide's retirement was announced Friday July 13, 2007.

The collective partnership of Sakatoga, trainer Barclay Tagg and his assistant Robin Smullens decided that it was best to retire him on a high note with the victory in the Wadsworth and with him still safe and sound.

"His future career is still yet to be determined although Tagg indicated that he will remain at the track for now as removing him from the environment he's known for years would be more difficult on him."

Thanks for the memories old buddy. Here's to a long, happy life on the farm.

Good

I have always liked this horse since I picked him to win the Derby in '03 (my only correct Derby pick of this decade) and I like this decision a lot. You don't see people retire a healthy horse coming off a stakes win very often. The fact that he gets to go out a stakes winner is a nice end to a nice story. They didn't wait until they absolutely HAD to retire him, which I think is good.
Too bad Santos couldn't have made it back to ride him in his last race. That would have been nice.
The only time I saw him in person was when he won the '04 JCGC, which was an incredibly exciting race, and that is another rason that I will always remember the "gutsy gelding" fondly.

I agree...going out in style...

We need horses like FC racing. Bad decision to retire this horse if he is healthy. Look at the turn-out at Finger Lakes when he last raced. He could race 4 times a year and draw plenty of fans to the track, hook weak fields and be able to bank $150k to $300k a year.

The great gutsy gelding is retired off a stakes win. It is fitting and just. Just like any great entertainer, leave the crowd wanting more.

For once, we can say this and NOT be sarcastic.

Hats off to the GUTSY GELDING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

good luck FC, the bullies and haters will have to find a new target now...

bullys and haters.. hmm this should have happened along time ago....that huge win at fingerlakes really set him apart..a befitting way for a derby winner to go ...out the back door......

I don't know if I would call a $100,000 stakes race "the back door."
It certainly isn't a G1 at Saratoga, but there are a lot of worse ways to finish than winning a six-figure stakes race. I don't care where they run it.

i like funny cide..i have no problem with the horse..but..im glad he has been given a break...no its no shame in winning a 100k race..again i like the horse he has inspired alot of respect for ny breds ..but..he has not been competitive in races he was in and carded to win for along time....

Normally, I would agree with this, maybe if he was a three yr or four yr old, but even though he remains a draw for fans, he's got alot of wear on his tires and sending him off healthy and in good spirits is the absolute right thing to do.
Funny Cide has been good to and for the game since he came into it, and it is time for the game to be kind to him in turn. This was the right decision.

I can think of a couple. For starters, how about bringing back pg1985!!

then there's the great donkey, who's nearing his debut!

where's BTW, btw?

Can only speak for myself, but I love Funny Cide. I just thought this should've been done a long time ago.

To steal a line from Posca.....

"That's a very deep question you ask....."


His mortal flesh can be found cuddling up with Morty at about this time on a Friday night.

And don't think I'm not jealous of him for being the apple of Mortimer's eye.

why is it that i rarely understand any posts here that contain the word 'morty' in it?

i should go now. i just heard a siren in the distance, and at 3 AM, it could only mean one thing. a one hour sale just started at dunkin donuts.

Nice career Funny Cide. Enjoy Retirement!

Yeah it's about time. It seriously was time to do this. Since they let him race long past when he should of, I had some delusional hope that he'd somehow, by some miracle make 1 last big-time summer campaign where he was very competitive and set up for a BC run (keep in mind I said delusional for a reason). But I'm glad his connections finally came to their senses and did the right thing for him.

Ditto that.
Funny Cide did a lot for NY racing.
Thanks for the memories "gutsy gelding".

Finger Lakes has been rolling with the slots, they've got more money like that, no problem. Hell the NY Derby (run today for $175k) was $250k last year. But I'm with you, I'm glad to see him go out on top.

I don't really agree with this. The horse can still run. He put up 95-100 Beyers in the King's Point and Wadsworth. It's not superstar status by any means, but that's still a horse that can run. As stated he put the second largest crowd ever at Finger Lakes in the seats on a nasty/rainy day. He's still better than Evening Attire and that one darn near got 3rd in both the Excelsior and the Suburban. He's still a healthy and good race horse. There was no need to retire him. I think the irritation of Sackatoga hearing why/why/why/why/why every single time he ran finally wore them down.

This is the problem with racing...we finally get a very good horse/Ky Derby winner still running well into his 7 year old season and we all complain about that...yet we will also complain when Bernardini is retired after his 3 yr old year. We have our cake and eat it too. Ridiculous. He absolutely should not have been retired long ago...and he in my estimation shouldn't have been retired yesterday either. He's still a very useful race horse.

I admit that I have to agree. If he is still sound let him run at smaller tracks, and give the fans something to see. But, I also have to agree that going out with a win is pretty cool...

He's no worse than Evening Attire who just ran 3rd in a G1. When the JCGC is won in a 98 Beyer I will be really upset that they didn't keep him in training.

Totally agree. Switching him back and forth to the grass and main track didn't help, either, and it only made him look bad and made this decision look logical...