Sackatoga Stable’s 2003 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner Funny Cide, one of the most popular racehorses of this century, has died due to complications of colic at 23 years old.

The son of Distorted Humor had been residing at the Hall of Champions at the Kentucky Horse Park for the past 15 years. He will be cremated and buried there. A winner of $3,529,412 in 38 starts, the gelding retired in 2007 with a record of 11-6-8 for trainer Barclay Tagg.

Sackatoga Stable’s managing partner Jack Knowlton would regularly visit Funny Cide and even host sessions at the Hall of Champions, giving fans a first-hand account of Funny Cide’s memorable spring 20 years ago and what it was like as an owner to experience those thrills.

“We are heartbroken at the news of Funny Cide’s passing this morning. What a ride The Gutsy Gelding took us on winning the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes,” Sackatoga Stable tweeted July 16. “We are so grateful to Kentucky Horse Park for giving our guy a wonderful retirement. To say we will miss him, is an understatement.”

Knowlton told BloodHorse, “He changed my life.”

Funny Cide at the Kentucky Horse Park in 2013. (Anne Eberhardt/BloodHorse photo)

The Kentucky Horse Park will feel the loss. Last year Hall of Champions manager Rob Willis said in telling the story of Funny Cide’s classic wins, fans and people less familiar with racing alike would recall the school bus the Sackatoga Stable partners took to the Derby and other big races.

“Funny Cide, by far, is the Horse Park’s most famous, popular horse,” Willis said. “A lot of people come here and I’ll start telling the story of the school bus and the 10 high school buddies getting together (as his owner). There’s always somebody in the crowd who says, ‘Oh, I know that horse.’

“Once you have that in, and you start talking with them about racing, they want to continue on and talk more about breeding and the Thoroughbred business overall. It’s really a treat to see, and to see them leave here very satisfied.”

Undefeated at 2, New York-bred Funny Cide won on first asking at Belmont Park and followed with victories there in the Bertram F. Bongard Stakes and Sleepy Hollow Stakes.

The next year he was second in the Louisiana Derby and Wood Memorial Stakes before reaching his best form right on time. He would capture the Kentucky Derby by 1 3/4 lengths over Derby favorite Empire Maker, who had edged Funny Cide by a half-length in the Wood Memorial. With the win, Funny Cide became the first gelding to win the Derby since Clyde Van Dusen in 1929. Funny Cide would then blitz his Preakness Stakes rivals under regular rider and eventual Hall of Famer Jose Santos, drawing off in the stretch to score by 9 3/4 lengths.

“Funny Cide, you meant so much to not just my family, but the racing community,” Santos tweeted Sunday. “You will be remembered by most for your grit, determination, will to win, and being the champion no one could have expected.

“By me, you will be remembered for the moments you gave our family. You are a family member to me. I felt so much comfort knowing if I was having a bad day I could get in the car to drive an hour to come see you. It hurts to know I’ve lost that, but I will never lose the memories you gave me, as well as the love I have for you. Fly high champion. You mean more to me than I can ever put into words. I love you Funny.”

He would come up short in his pursuit of the Triple Crown, finishing third to Empire Maker in the Belmont Stakes. Funny Cide closed out his 3-year-old campaign with a third-place finish in the Haskell Invitational Handicap and an off-the-board finish in the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita Park.

After the Derby win Tagg’s assistant Robin Smullen, the regular exercise rider of Funny Cide, recalled that Tagg knew he had a talented horse.

Funny Cide in 2020. (Anne Eberhardt/BloodHorse photo)

“Barclay was in New York and he told me right from the beginning this horse was very special,” Smullen said. “He did things so easily, and he’d gallop by everything on the racetrack. But he became difficult to gallop. I was at Delaware (Park) at the time and Barclay had some 90-pound freelance riders on him. He ran off one day at Saratoga and bucked his shins. Since then, no one has been on him in the morning but me.

“We got him straightened out and he was ready to rock and roll.”

At 4 Funny Cide ran third in the Donn Handicap and New Orleans Handicap before winning the Excelsior Breeders’ Cup Handicap in April at Aqueduct. During the summer, he was second in the Massachusetts Handicap, Saratoga Breeders’ Cup Handicap, and third runner-up in the Suburban Handicap. He then earned another top-level win with a victory in the Jockey Club Gold Cup back at Belmont Park. The gelding closed out the year with an off-the-board finish in the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Lone Star Park.

Racing to age 7, gelding Funny Cide would nail down three more stakes wins, the 2006 Kings Point Handicap at Aqueduct and Dominion Day Stakes at Woodbine, and then in his last year on the oval in 2007 he went out with a win in the Wadsworth Memorial Handicap at Finger Lakes, winning by three lengths.

WinStar Farm bred Funny Cide out of the Slewacide mare Belle’s Good Cide. As a yearling, he was purchased for $22,000 by Tony Everard during the Fasig-Tipton New York Preferred Yearling Sale of 2001. Everard provided initial training of Funny Cide and then sold him for $75,000 to Tagg on behalf of Sackatoga.

Funny Cide was a three-time New York Champion at 2, 3, and as an older horse. He was the New York Horse of the Year from 2002-2004.–Tim Wilkin