Vol. XXXII December 10, 2008
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Red Wine for a Red Horse
By Marilyn Lane |
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The only New York-bred Kentucky Derby winner in history was in another ceremony on the first Saturday in December. Like all heroes he’s participated in many of them. Funny Cide arrived at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY to take up full-time retirement.
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| Jack Knowlton at the
KY Horse Park |
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ThoroFan Advisory Board member Jack Knowlton was on-site for the ceremony. Jack headed the team of racing enthusiasts and old friends who raced the legendary gelding.
Anyone who has sent a child off to college or had a best friend move far away can sympathize with Jack. His pride and joy will not return to his backyard next summer.
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Funny Cide arrives at The KY Horse Park |
Funny’s second career
photo by Barry Bornstein
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I saw Jack cast many admiring glances toward Funny Cide as Barclay Tagg rode the Derby-winning stable pony to and from the Saratoga track last summer. The radiant chestnut went about his work in a business-like fashion, never flaunting who he was. Consummate horsemanship served to retrain this high-strung stakes performer to a far different role. The result was a perfect fan-pleaser, and it allowed for Robin Smullen (Barclay’s long-time assistant), Jack and Barclay to longer enjoy hands-on contact with the horse that provided them their most exhilarating moments. |
My friend Marilyn Sadler was there to capture photos of the historic day. She snickered as she said, “It was cold and they served Funny Cider.” Like many ThoroFan members Marilyn went the extra mile to share her love of the game. She caught much of Jack’s interview on her tape-recorder then rushed home to transcribe and send it on to me so that I could share it with you.
In response to a question about what made Funny Cide have such a big fan club, Jack replied, “He’s the people’s horse. It’s what he accomplished on the racetrack. He was an underdog, and so were the connections that had him.” Empire Maker with Jerry Bailey aboard had everyone feeling they might be running for second money. Funny Cide wasn’t a surprise winner-he was a shocking one. Jack continued, “The fact that he stuck around and raced for 6 years, all of those things, I think contributed to it. He gave a lot of people, small players in the industry hope.” People were thinking, “You know, if these guys can do this with this horse, anybody can do it”
Jack went on to say, “I’m going to miss him. I was there 34 out of the 36 mornings he was at Saratoga. I live a couple of blocks from the track. But, he’s in a great place now…you know all his fans are going to be able to get here at some point to see him. He’s got a lotta’ fans that haven’t seen him before. It’s a tremendous place, and we are thrilled that this is where he’s going to be.” |
Funny Cide at Home at the Kentucky Horse Park |
I smile to remember watching his Derby. I was at home in Saratoga, (not home-home) but downtown. My friend René Hough and I watched the race together then returned to her store, ‘WineSellers.’ We had a toast or two which is something I only do at Derby time and sundown. René was a fun-loving girl and I always enjoyed stopping by her Broadway shop. We used to discuss how a fine bottle of wine like a great horse stems from its roots and is tempered to perfection through skilled handling. René and I formed our friendship through having many like-minded interests, and I often remarked that she would have made a great race tracker—the girl had a world of common sense and a distinct tendency not to overuse it!
I’ve just gone to my pantry and pulled out a bottle of 2001 Thoroughbred Red, a gift from René. There’s an inscription on it,“Marilyn—good genes, good juice-safe bet. Lay it down for at least another 10 yrs! To a winner, René @ WineSellers.” That was a fun night to be in New York enjoying Distorted Humor. René now resides in Lexington. I miss my friend and I’m going to miss Funny Cide too. René moved to KY to sell wine, but found it comparable to having a good turf horse at Aqueduct in winter. After a few disappointing months she took on a line of distilled beverages and that put her business back on firm footing. Lucky for me, I go to KY a few times a year. I’ll have fun taking René to see the red horse that enabled New Yorkers to celebrate on the first Saturday in May. In a few more years I’ll enjoy this fine bottle of wine and smile to remember all the good horses which have taken people to unexpected heights.
The ThoroFan hat is not the only one I wear. I also represent the art work of Boguslaw Lustyk. He produced a beautiful painting of our New York hero. Boguslaw departed from his usual style here and the result is stunning. Stirring imaginations was one of Funny Cide’s special talents--he had a way of taking people outside themselves. |
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The Funny Cide Team produced a wonderful children’s book, illustrated by Barry Moser and there is an adult book on him too. He was an unlikely hero but his accomplishments will long be remembered. Yes, remembering Funny Cide will continue to lighten hearts and provide hope for a very long time.
In 2004 Smarty Jones ran off with the roses. He was a PA-bred. Had the trend for these northerly-bred horses continued I think we may have seen bourbons of Exclusive Quality distilled in the Northeast.
A toast to Funny Cide!
