By: Mia Wang

On July 16, 2023, Funny Cide, a competitive racehorse and one of the most storied horses in thoroughbred history, died at age 23.

Funny Cide was smaller than the other horses, but that didn’t stop him from entering the 2003 Kentucky Derby.

No one knew who Funny Cide was until he “went to the Kentucky Derby and stunned the horse racing world by beating Empire Maker by 1 1/2 lengths at odds of nearly 13-1.” (Spectrum News) Funny Cide beat the royally bred favorite horse, Empire Maker, and won the Kentucky Derby. He had officially one of the three legs of the Triple Crown. He became the first New York bred horse to win the race. Funny Cide was also named “Gutsy Gelding” for being the first neutered horse to win the Kentucky Derby since 1929.

Everyone thought that the first win at the Kentucky Derby was a fluke. Funny Cide proved them all wrong by winning again at the second race, Preakness Stake. He got his second leg of the Triple Crown and became a fan favorite.

“Funny Cide battled through the long stretch to finish third in the Belmont Stakes, losing the race, and the Triple Crown, by only 5 lengths.” (Kentucky Horse Park) Belmont Stakes was the third and final race. However, Empire Maker took his revenge and passed Funny Cide to win the race. Even though Funny Cide lost, it was still a great race.

Funny Cide remained competitive and trained until he retired in 2007. He spent his last 15 years on a farm in Kentucky. He then died from complications of colic or abdominal pain.