By: Jonathan Shen

On May 3, 2003, at the Kentucky Derby was an unknown little 3-year-old Funny Cide standing at the starting stalls. When that gun is blasted, Funny Cide would take off like a jet, sprint down the 1 and ¼ mile dirt track and finish in 1st place.

After the race, the crowd cheered in excitement as the first and ever New York State-bred horse darted past the finish line in 1st place, shocking viewers. After this event, Funny Cide became one of the most storied horses in thoroughbred racing history.

At first, Funny Cide winning the Kentucky Derby was just known as a crazy horse owned by a bunch of New York guys who got lucky. But 2 weeks later, Funny Cide won again at the 1 and 3/16 mile Preakness Stakes race dominating the field! The news has shocked many people. It was a life-altering moment for Funny Cide’s owners.

However, Funny Cide wasn’t able to reach his goal of capturing the Triple Crown that year at the Belmont Stakes.

One of Funny Cide’s co-owners, Harold Cring, recalled in a 2007 interview with North Country Public Radio that, “I could not believe my eyes. That’s our horse out front. I kept waiting for something to fall apart.”

When Funny Cide crossed the finish line, it again became a life-changing moment for his owners. Jon Constance, the village’s former Mayor and another of Funny Cide’s Co-owners has said, “From that day forward, our life has changed.”

By the time Funny Cide retired in 2007, he had won more than 3.5 million dollars for his happy owners.

Constance—the village’s former Mayor—recalled in an interview with NPR in July 2023 that “He [Funny Cide] loved to get out there and loved to show the rest of them. He might have been small but he was powerful.”

Funny Cide, a horse hero, lived his last 15 years on a horse farm in Lexington, Kentucky with comfort before he passed away in July, 2023 at age 23. Constance’s village now even has a street named after the famous 2003 Kentucky and Preakness 1st place winner, “Funny Cide”.