A Place in History Awaits Funny Cide

The countdown is on to the 2003 Triple Crown finale, the Belmont Stakes, and as evidenced by the current media frenzy in the United States, this year is special.

There hasn't been a horse take out the 3 legs of the Triple Crown since Affirmed back in 1978. Now, 25 years later there is another worthy contendor for the Crown, Funny Cide, the all-conquering son of Distorted Humor, will line up on Saturday June 7 in the Belmont Stakes to attempt to secure his place in history.

Funny Cide has become a horse of the people, which is why Belmont Park have had to hire in extra seating for the big day, and why $80 tickets are now selling for $350. The crowds will be turning up in their tens of thousands to see if Funny Cide, a New York bred gelding, can do what no other horse has been able to do in the past 2 decades.

If Funny Cide is able to continue his spine-tingling form from the Kentucky Derby where he won by 1 3/4 lengths and the Preakness Stakes where he won by an ever widening 9 3/4 lengths, he will propel his sire Distorted Humor into the big time.

Not that Distorted Humor isn't well on his way.

Distorted Humor was the leading first crop sire in the United States, and was second only to the mighty Storm Cat on the 2yo sires table. He is also leading second crop sire.

He has also produced the recent Peter Pan (Gr 11) winner Go Rockin' Robin who may be lining up against Funny Cide in the Belmont Stakes. Other stakes-winners in the past 12 months for Distorted Humor include Awesome Humor, winner of the G1 Spinaway Stakes, G2 Adirondack Stakes and G3 Debutante Stakes, Humorous Lady winner of the G2 Astarita Stakes

And in Australia, where his first crop are racing this season, he has produced an impressive stakes-winner in Rinky Dink. Rinky Dink won the Listed Adams Platform Stakes on Oaks Day last year, and has been placed on four occasions in stakes races, she will next line up in the Group 1 TJ Smith Stakes at Eagle Farm on Monday.