Monday, May 19, 2003 | 9:18 a.m.
Ralph Siraco's horse racing column appears Monday and his Southern California selections run Tuesday-Sunday.
He had a lot to prove. So did his connections. And there were plenty out there waiting to see if his Kentucky Derby victory was an aberration or if the Preakness Stakes would provide a sophomore coronation. His rider sought justification through vindication.
Now the nine sprawled in his wake at Pimlico can go on vacation.
Funny Cide put aside any lingering doubts about his Kentucky Derby win and jockey Jose Santos, just for good measure, raised his hand and two fingers after the finish of Saturday's Preakness Stakes to show, again, that there was nothing more than a good race horse with him.
A very good race horse.
This year's real-life sequel to "Seabiscuit" rolled through Baltimore taking the second jewel of racing's Triple Crown on the way to a date with destiny in New York for the Belmont Stakes on June 7.
It wasn't that Kentucky Derby winner Funny Cide won the Preakness Stakes that was so surprising, after all he solidly beat almost twice as many rivals in Louisville, but the way he did it that left most who witnessed the 128th edition in awe. And, with newfound respect.
To say the least, it had been a roller coaster week of emotions for the Funny Cide camp leading to Saturday's race. There was an investigation of jockey Jose Santos, based on a misguided article and picture in the Miami Herald suspecting the rider of using an illegal electrical device in winning the Derby. After four days of suffering through accusations impugning his character and integrity, Santos was exonerated. Then on Friday, a downpour prompted an early van ride for the Derby winner from his home base in New York.
By contrast the Preakness proved to be a walk in the park for Santos and Funny Cide. With diamond-lane service.
After the Friday rainstorm that pelted Pimlico Race Course came a cold and blistery start to a marathon day of racing at Old Hilltop. With the rain subsiding on Saturday, the track condition had moved to a good-but-not-fast surface by the time they got to the main event. For his performance, it appeared Funny Cide could have run on broken beer bottles and won.
Throughout the day Funny Cide and Peace Rules, who finished in a place photo-finish with stablemate Empire Maker while third in the Derby, were vying for favoritism deadlocked at 2/1 odds. Then moments before the field loaded into the starting gate for the $1 million Grade I jewel, the betting public finally landed on Funny Cide as their choice. He did not disappoint.
When the gates opened, Peace Rules and Scrimshaw rolled for the lead as Santos used his partner's tactical speed to angled over from the outside post 10, getting another perfect tracking position behind the dueling leaders. Unlike the Derby, however, Santos could only persuade Funny Cide to stay there for a half-mile. Then the gelded son of Distorted Humor as much as said to Santos, "hold on." Funny Cide ambled alongside Peace Rules as Scrimshaw retreated, and the race was on.
The "race" lasted about 10 strides. Then it was over. Jockey Edgar Prado snapped Peace Rules with his left-handed whip while Santos was on cruise control. Ears pinned, Peace Rules had no answer for Funny Cide.
And neither did anyone else.
Funny Cide pulled away from the field and turned the 1 3/16th mile race into a procession to victory, hitting the finish 9 3/4 lengths to the good of runner up Midway Road, who might as well have been in another zip code. The final time of 1:55:3 was not indicative of the effort but more of the track condition. Scrimshaw re-rallied for third while a tired Peace Rules completed the superfecta. Funny Cide returned $5.80 for the win, the exacta with Midway Road paid $120.60 and the trifecta number of 9-6-1 adding Scrimshaw came back $684.20.
Trainer Barclay Tagg, who is reserved by nature, hesitated to say what he was thinking until after the Preakness victory. "I thought he had it in him to do that," he said. Santos reflected on his Derby accusations saying, "The only machine I had today was the red horse I was riding."
And what about the group of high school buddies from Sackets Harbor, N.Y., who put up $5,000 each to start the now famous three-horse Sackatoga Stable. With the victory in the Preakness Stakes, Funny Cide alone has earned the ownership $1,889,385.
Justification that the Derby performance was for real. Vindication that Santos is not a cheat but just a darn good rider.
Now, history.
Funny Cide has a date with immortality at Belmont Park for the final jewel of the Triple Crown in three weeks. He is the fifth horse in seven years who has come to this point. Sliver Charm (1997), Real Quiet (1998), Charismatic (1999) and War Emblem last year, failed to take the 1 1/2-mile Belmont Stakes.
Even Bob Baffert, who trained Silver Charm, Real Quiet and War Emblem, is in awe. Baffert, who started different runners for this year's Derby and Preakness, is getting off the trail and intends to just root for Funny Cide to win the Triple Crown.
It has been 25 years since Affirmed won the last Triple Crown in 1978.
If Funny Cide does it, he will be the first New York-bred, conditioned by a New York-based trainer, ridden by a New York-based jockey and owned by New Yorkers. Oh, yeah, and the Belmont Stakes is at the namesake track in Elmont, N.Y.
Since Funny Cide is a gelding, he will be the first to win the Triple Crown with no breeding aspirations, which means he can also become the people's horse, racing well beyond his sophomore season.
As Sackatoga Stable managing partner Jack Knowlton said, "Hopefully, Barclay can keep him on the edge because that will be one heck of a day for New York. And we want the best race ever, with the biggest crowd (for the Belmont Stakes)."
The Big Apple awaits.
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