Rivals out of Travers

Richard Rosenblatt

Friday, Aug. 22, 2003 | 9:37 a.m.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. -- Funny Cide won't run in the Travers Stakes, either.

Barclay Tagg pulled his Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner out of Saturday's $1 million race at Saratoga Race Course because the trainer was unhappy with the gelding's health.

Funny Cide's rival Empire Maker was also taken out of the race by trainer Bobby Frankel.

"I didn't like the way he galloped this morning, and he's been fighting a fever all month and we're not taking a chance on running," Tagg said today. "We'll take our time and get him better.

"This is a business full of discouragements."

Empire Maker, who snatched the Triple Crown from Funny Cide by winning the Belmont Stakes, was withdrawn Thursday night.

The loss of Funny Cide, Saratoga's hometown hero, is a tough blow for racing fans anticipating a Funny Cide-Empire Maker rematch.

While Tagg was unsure of Funny Cide's next race, Frankel said Empire Maker would be pointed toward the Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont on Sept. 27. Frankel was considering the Woodward on Sept. 6, but changed his mind to give his horse more time to recover.

"I'm taking no chances," Frankel said today. "I'm erring on the side of caution. I want to have him for the rest of the year, and if I run him I might win the battle and lose the war. So I decided not to run."

At least Frankel has a pinch-runner in Peace Rules, who defeated Funny Cide in the Haskell at Monmouth Park on Aug. 3. Peace Rules will be ridden by Jerry Bailey.

Funny Cide's defection was not unexpected, although now that it's official there will surely be a huge letdown despite the lofty status of the Travers, the oldest stakes race for 3-year-old horses that dates 134 years.

Empire Maker had a cough and missed several days of training, but Frankel said his colt was "fine."

"His coat looks a little dull," Frankel said. "And I just didn't feel comfortable."

With the top two 3-year-old horses in the country out of the Midsummer Derby, the field now stands at six. Besides Peace Rules, others set for the race are Jim Dandy winner Strong Hope, Haskell runner-up Sky Mesa, Belmont and Swaps runner-up Ten Most Wanted, Congrats, and Wild and Wicked.

"I've never seen a race where there's been so much speculation about the big names," said Bill Nader, vice president at the New York Racing Association, which operates Saratoga. "If they don't run, it's understandable but not the end of the world. It's still the Travers, the single biggest race at the most popular track in America."