REFUSE TO BEND a Guineas Hero HEADLINE p. 3 NEWS For information about TDN, DELIVERED EACH NIGHT call 732-747-8060. BY FAX AND INTERNET www.thoroughbreddailynews.com SUNDAY, MAY 4, 2003 NEW YORK STATE OF MIND The Perfect Trip Funny Cide (Distorted Humor) had come up short to Hours are spent every year trying to predict which both Empire Maker (Unbridled) and Peace Rules (Jules) horse will get a good, clean trip in a big Derby field, but in his last two starts, but the chestnut struck a blow few would have predicted that Funny Cide would be for his native state yesterday afternoon at Churchill the one this year. Breaking cleanly from post six, the Downs, becoming the first New chestnut was able to cruise up into third as most of his York-bred in history to win the rivals to his outside began to play bumper cars. GI Kentucky Derby. “Get with Brancusi (Deputy Commander) showed the way early, the program,” jockey Jose but began to back out of it heading into the far turn, Santos said on his way to the leaving Peace Rules in front. Funny Cide began to move winner’s circle. “This is a New forward and drew even ap- York horse.” This was second proaching the stretch as Empire major recent upset for Santos, Maker came up on the outside. Funny Cide wins Derby who had piloted Volponi to vic- Horsephotos The favorite looked like he might tory in the GI Breeders’ Cup get by, but the New York-bred Classic Oct. 26, but it was a new feeling for the own- showed his grit, battling back ers of Sackatoga Stables. “We’re the little guys,” said and drawing off in the final six- co-owner Jackson Knowlton. “We’ve got a three-horse teenth. Derby cont. p2 stable, all New York-breds. Barclay [Tagg] has just done Funny Cide Horsephotos a spectacular job training this horse.” Saturday, Churchill Downs KENTUCKY DERBY-GI, $1,100,200, CDX, 5-3, 3yo, From the Gangs of New York 1 1/4m, 2:01, ft. Funny Cide began his career with three sharp scores 1--s@FUNNY CIDE, 126, g, 3, by Distorted Humor against state-bred competition, winning the Bertram F. 1st Dam: Belle's Good Cide, by Slewacide Bongard S. by nine lengths while earning a Beyer of 2nd Dam: Belle of Killarney, by Little Current 103. He was given a break following his victory in the 3rd Dam: Cherished Moment, by Graustark Sleepy Hollow S. Oct. 19, then resurfaced at ($22,000 yrl '01 FTNAUG). O-Sackatoga Stable Gulfstream in the GIII Holy Bull S. Jan. 18. Forced into (Jackson W Knowlton); B-WinStar Farm, LLC (NY); a wide trip after drawing the outside post, he did a good job to be fifth to Offlee Wild (Wild Again). Tagg T-Barclay Tagg; J-J A Santos; $800,200. Lifetime decided that his charge deserved another chance on the Record: 7-4-2-0, $1,239,385. *Second Grade I win- Triple Crown trail and elected the GII Louisiana Derby ner for sire (by Forty Niner). Mar. 9 as his next stop. Funny Cide set the pace and 2--Empire Maker, 126, c, 3, Unbridled--Toussaud, by El began to tire, but came on again along the inside to be Gran Senor. O/B-Juddmonte Farms Inc (KY); third to Peace Rules. After that, Tagg took him home to T-Robert Frankel; J-Jerry Bailey; $170,000. New York to face Empire Maker in the GI Wood Memo- 3--Peace Rules, 126, c, 3, Jules--Hold to Fashion, by rial Apr. 12. The chestnut was dead-game on the rail, Hold Your Peace. ($35,000 2yo 2002 OBSMAR). but couldn’t quite get by the green Frankel runner to his O-Edmund A Gann; B-Newchance Farm (FL); T-Robert outside. That was the effort which convinced Tagg to Frankel; J-Edgar Prado; $85,000. take Funny Cide to Louisville. “If he hadn’t run as well Margins: 1 3/4, HD, HD. Odds: 12.80, 2.50, 6.30. as he did, it would have taken the pressure off of going Also Ran: Atswhatimtalknbout, Eye of the Tiger, Buddy to the Kentucky Derby,” Tagg said immediately after Gil, Outta Here, Ten Cents a Shine, Ten Most Wanted, the Wood. “Now we have to go. At a mile and a quar- Domestic Dispute, Scrimshaw, Offlee Wild, Supah Blitz, ter, he just might beat that other horse.” Those words Indian Express, Lone Star Sky, Brancusi. proved prophetic on the First Saturday in May. Scratched: Sir Cherokee. TDN P HEADLINE NEWS • 5/4/03 • PAGE 2 of 11 Laughter is the Best Medicine Toppled Empire “I have been living a dream here for three weeks,” Poor Bobby Frankel. The Hall of Fame trainer had said Jackson Knowlton, who started Sackatoga Stables won three graded stakes on the Derby undercard and with five high school friends. “For me, it’s just so re- ran second in another Grade I, but wound up running warding that everybody who dreams of owning a horse second and third in the big one. Frankel had stated that or owns [a few] horses can look at what we have ac- Empire Maker had fully recovered from the foot bruise complished. But it’s like winning the lottery: it is a which he’d sustained earlier in the week, but the hand- dollar and a dream.” Knowlton kept his fingers crossed some colt didn’t finish up as well as could be expected as Funny Cide trained up to the Derby in New York. “I after looming boldly at the top of the stretch. “We got have seen so many horses get so close, then something parked a little wide on the far turn,” said jockey Jerry happens along the way,” he said. “Fortunately, Barclay and Robin [assistant trainer Smullen] just did a fabulous Bailey, “but I thought he was good enough to overcome job getting him here, and obviously ready to run.” Pur- that. He didn’t respond the way he did in his last two chased as a yearling for $22,000 at Fasig-Tipton’s races.” When asked about the colt’s foot, Bailey re- Preferred Sale in Saratoga, Funny Cide caught Tagg’s sponded, “He switched leads fine, and didn’t favor eye several times in Florida, leading the conditioner to anything.” A disappointed Frankel said, “I still think he purchase him privately for $75,000 last spring. “We is a better horse than that other horse [Funny Cide]. But liked him every time, and we didn’t think the price was that doesn’t change what happened.” Frankel’s immedi- outlandish,” said Tagg. “The price went up every time ate reaction was to take Empire Maker out of consider- we saw him. One testicle hadn’t descended, so they ation for the GI Preakness S. in two weeks. “I don’t decided to castrate the horse. Which is probably the know what I’ll do with him next,” he said. “I think I’ll best thing in those cases.” run Peace Rules in the Preakness.” Funny Cide is the first gelding since Clyde Van Dusen in 1929 to wear the blanket of roses. He will ship back to Lonesome Buddy New York this morning and will likely head to Baltimore. Jockey Gary Stevens said that Buddy Gil (Eastern “I guess we have got to go down,” Tagg added. “I Echo) “didn’t break very well and all I could do was don’t know how I will train him for it. We’ll see how he save ground. I really only got him to run an eighth of a is day by day.” mile. My trip was over after the second stride out of Click for the brisnet.com chart or the free brisnet.com the gate, so we’ll wait for the Preakness.” catalogue-style pedigree. A Top Ten Disappointment Blinkers On Bring Late Rush Illinois Derby hero Ten Most Wanted (Deputy Com- Wearing blinkers for the first time, Atswhatimtalknbout mander), sent off as the 6-1 third choice, looked like he (A.P. Indy) endured traffic problems early, but put in a might do some running on the far turn, but flattened strong run in the final furlong to be fourth, beaten a out to be ninth. “I can’t believe it,” said trainer Wally pair of heads for second at odds of 8-1. “He ran a good Dollase. “I just don’t know why he didn’t run his race.” race,” said trainer Ron Ellis. “He got stuck down on the Jockey Pat Day said the colt came up empty. “I got inside longer than we wanted and when we got clear, it pinched back a little bit at the break, but moving down was too late. He gave us a thrill for a little while, any- the backside I was about two lengths off Empire Maker way.” As for the Preakness, Ellis said, “We’ll see how and I thought I was all right,” he said. “When I asked he comes out of the race. I think he ran good enough to him, there was no response. He didn’t drop down and take a look at it.” accelerate like I thought he would.” LANE’S END STALLIONS MAKE THEIR MARK AT KEENELAND! GULCH SCRIMSHAW takes the Grade 2 Coolmore Lexington S. by 3 lengths A.P. INDY MINESHAFT drills his rivals by 9 lengths in the G3 Ben Ali S. BOX 626, VERSAILLES, KY 40383 BELONG TO ME (859) 873-7300 FAX (859) 873-3746 E-MAIL: [email protected] OCEAN DRIVE is now 4 for 5 with her win in the $111,300 Appalachian S.