Am I the only one who's all fired up to watch Funny Cide win the Triple Crown in the Belmont Stakes this weekend?

I haven't been this much into the horses since that great run of Triple Crown winners in the '70s. All of the Triple Crown threats the last few years (e.g., War Emblem, Real Quiet) seemed flawed -- winning the first two legs due more to the weakness of the other horses than their own strengths. I actually was relieved when those horses were denied in the Belmost after winning the Derby and Preakness. They weren't worthy.

Funny Cide, the "gutsy gelding," is different. After his dominating win in the Preakness, I'm convinced that Funny Cide deserved to be the 11th Triple Crown winner.

And the Belmost -- with a Triple Crown on the line -- is one of the great spectacles in sports (and, yes, horse racing counts as a sport). I still get choked up flashing back to the great 1973 Secretariat Belmont ("He's running like a tremendous machine"). One of my all-time favorite sports memories.

Im ready to go too. I havent been much on horse racing for a while. Its about time we get some excitement.
I grew up in NJ about 2 miles from Monmouth Park race track, so its in my blood to gamble on horses. Though I dont feel like venturing to Lone Star Park to do it. I'll keep my 2 bucks and root him on watching the tv.
Hopefully Funny Cide wont follow the numerous other horses to win the 1st 2 and then come up bust.

A friend took me to the race track on Derby day to watch some races and bet on the Churchill Downs race. I picked Funny Cide as a longshot, and won some decent money.

Since then I have been pulling for the gelding that runs like the vet is coming back to snip a second time. He had run two awesome races, and I hope he wins the Crown. The horse is absolutely beautiful, and his story is much like Seattle Slew's. The owners are pretty humble people (or so I have read) who pooled a little bit of money and bought a relatively inexpensive racehorse. Now they are in line to win the greatest honor in horse racing and a cool $5 million from Visa.

It is a great story and I am pulling for my boy all the way. Unfortunately, everyone is making him an odds-on favorite, so there is no more easy money to win on the boy.

I don't think he is that much of a lock to win (much as I would love to SEE my first triple crown winner), it all depends if Empire Maker's race in the Derby was the real deal or not. I could easily see him turning the tables on him here, but he's the only one. I think this is the best shot we've had at a Triple Crown in a while. Go FC!

Thanks Charliecstl for perfectly capturing my memories of Secretariat. I just happened to catch the derby this year, and then rushed home from the gym to see the Preakness. I was jumping up and down in my apartment when Funny Cide started to pull away on the curve. I'm really looking forward to the Belmont on Saturday.

how true, and how very well said! if 1973 was the year, then i've seen that race at least 30 times, and still the sheer greatness of secretariat's performance still brings a tear to my eye.

the call of that race (thanks for the quote, it's one of my all-time faves) is an absolute classic; a mini-series unto itself. if secretariat's race is replayed this year, listen closely to the call. the announcer starts out with a standard race call, then when the splits start coming, a tone of doubt enters into his voice (is he a super horse or suicidal). and when, under a hand ride (he was under a hand ride the whole way, which makes his achievement all the more amazing), the splits kept coming, the announcer quite literally, lost his way, and didn't know what to say. and from this i've-never-seen-a-situation-like-this-and-don't-know-how-to-handle-it ad libs came that wonderful quote, "he's moving like a tremoundous machine!" that was at the top of the stretch. from there on the lead lengthened with every majestic stride until mid-stretch the jockey (it was ron turcotte, no?) turned and looked back to see where the competition was. this moment was wonderfully captured by some astute photographer, and is a racing classic!

watching that race was one of those once in a lifetime sporting moments to tell the grandkids about -- like aaron's 715th, or mcguire's 62nd, or nicklaus walking down the fairway to the 18th green of his last british open....

CITT: Okay I admit I'm not a big Gelding Fan. But he's winning. I saw Dynever at the Lone Star in Mid May in Dallas. The horse is a stud. Field of 12 got boxed in and turned on the after burner at 1M & 1/16th to win by 3 lengths. I look for Dynever and Scrimshaw to be BIG BIG upset stories. Wanta make some $ bet the 3 (Scrimshaw at 20-1) along with the 5 -Dynever at 5-1) Your $2.00 exacta will pay about $188.00 Throw the three horses together for a 3 way Box on the Trifecta -3,4,5 (Funnycide is the Four Post) for $12.00 could pay ya - $26.00 - or could pay ya $600.00 - That's my advice and I'm sticking to it. Whatever you do -watch The Belmont.

[ June 04, 2003, 05:03 PM: Message edited by: Eastsidewa ]

I used to watch the triple crown every year, but as the years have gone by, I'm finding myself watch less & less. I'm still waiting for another Affirmed/Alydar match-up. Hated Affirmed becasue I was an Alydar fan. Count me in as someone who will be watching the Belmont on Saturday afternoon. I have a feeling that this is the year we see a Triple Crown.

Just found this treasure:
The Belmont Park website has video clips of each Belmont Stakes since 1970. This includes the great Secretariat race in 1973. It also includes the classic Affirmed/Alydar duel in 1978 or the Real Quiet meltdown in 1998.

http://nyra.com/belstakes2003/video.asp#

You need a broadband connection to see the videos -- for someone reason you only get sound with a dial-uop connection. The 1973 race doesn't get old.

[ June 05, 2003, 05:38 PM: Message edited by: Charlie in the Trees ]

This is a quote from the lady that owned Secretariat:

"Funny Cide reminds me of a big red horse I used to know," said Penny Chenery, who owned Secretariat. "I hope he smashes the field on Belmont Day."

Roll on Funny Cide...

The weather forecast here calls for, of course, rain tomorrow. Is Funny Cide a mudder?

Okay folks, get ready to groan: I believe we are all aware he can't be a fodder!

[ June 06, 2003, 03:17 PM: Message edited by: George_vikingfan ]

Since you started it GVF I'll chime in with an even more off-the-wall thought.

Anyone noticed that their saying gelding makes a male horse run better because it doesn't think about sex as much.

I wonder if the "Funny Cide" of gay human athletes make them more competitive since they can't openly express their sexuality very easily?

Perhaps homophobia acts as a form of "gelding" .

I think I remember reading that Funny Cide was gelded for a medical reason. This may just be a spin to apease the PETA folks. Anyone know?

And seriously, can he run in the mud. Its looking awful gloomy here right now and its only a little after 9am.

George you are right on the medical reason,something to do with a problem with one of his testicles.I think it was that one of them didn't drop,but I don't remember exactly.
As to his prospects as a "mudder",I think they said he had already won on a sloppy track and that he would benefit most from a quagmire. However,if it just rains enough to develop a wet fast track,it might be a different story.He has already lost to Empire Maker under those conditions,I think it was in the Wood Memorial.It should be an exciting race-the field is small,but deep.

Funny Cide was gelded because he was a "ridgling," a horse born with one testicle undescended. The discomfort affected his ability to run.

The only decent horse racing analyst on TV -- Charlsie Cantey -- mentioned on the Preakness broadcast that there are three reasons to geld a horse. I can't remember the third, but the two bigger reasons were medical (Funny Cide) and temperament. Some horses (she put the super-horses John Henry and Kelso in this category) are too mean to behave properly (and not just for racing purposes) and being gelded mellows them out.

[ June 07, 2003, 09:18 AM: Message edited by: Charlie in the Trees ]

Wish they had gelded a horse my mom used to walk for a trainer at Monmouth Park. He was named Fortake and mean as hell. He even went so far as to bite a 4 inch deep hunk out of the Mary Eden's husband's arm one year. Major surgery to repair it. But he was a winner, so they didnt care I guess.

Well no Triple Crown again! The horse just had no balls!

Thank you New York! I'll be here all week!

George -- you're a sick man, and I love you for it!

I was so sad to watch my horse lost it on the homestretch. I knew he was in trouble the minute I heard it was going to rain all day. Funny Cide is a speed horse, and the track conditions would not favor him. He still gave it a valiant go, and was in the lead for most of the race.

I was really ready for a TC winner this year. There have been nine close calls since Affirmed, but nobody can close it out.

Man, that really sucked! Nothing against the other horses--I am sure they are very nice. But 25 years without a Triple Crown is amazing...

I'm surprised at how strongly I'm reacting to this, but I don't think I've been this disappointed in the result of an athletic contest since the '96 Super Bowl (XXX, Steelers lose to the Cowboys). I was pulling for Funny Cide really hard.

That wasn't mud they were running in. That was standing water. A quarter inch deep. At least. Love to see Olympic runners try to make it through such slop.

I knew he wouldnt win in the mud but then again I was disappointed he didnt, especially losing in the stretch.
But given how Empire Maker ran, that horse would have won the Triple Crown himself had he been in better shape before.

This might sound like a pretty stupid question... but since Funny Cide is a gelding... but still an incredible racing horse... Would they have "secured" some of his sperm and froze it in the very case that he became a significant race winner? I thought one of the best ways to make money with horses was breeding... Can they sell his sperm?

I'm not sure he was a horse of any great promise at the time he was gelded. And since the extraction and storage of the sperm is probably very expensive, I'm going to guess it wasn't done.

A friend brought up a point though. They could look to the horse that sired Funny Cide to make more siblings for him.

Empire Maker ran a great race. His time was very good considering track conditions. BUT: would Empire Maker have been as strong had he run in the Preakness instead of having five weeks of rest? We'll never know.

Empire Maker ran a great race but he did have a 5 week layoff...and sending Funny Cide to the lead was kinda questionable...expecting a horse to go wire to wire in a mile and half race ...is hard...the European horses race like that but not here...I wanted to see a triple crown winner but I guess we will have to wait another year...too bad ...Funny Cide's dam was an Okie breed and raced here locally...hopefully since he is a gelding we will see him for years to come.

Well Santos had a point in making Funny Cide go wire to wire. The last 3 Triple Crown winners ran the Belmont wire to wire.
But he did say he wanted him 1 or 2. I would have picked 2 myself. Because a horse in the front usually cant tell whos coming up behind him and is kind of just cruising. The tailing horse is running hard to beat his frontrunner. By the time the frontrunner sees them its usually too late, unless theyre a super horse.

Oh, come on! It's obvious what happened--the horse choked under the pressure! I'm sure the writer of this Outsports column would agree!

Another horse that almost won the Triple Crown, but fell short at the Belmont has passed away. From ESPN.com: