Funny Cide captures the 2003 Preakness (Courtesy of Jim McCue)
One Fan’s Horse Racing Passion Began With One Horse
By April Inloes Smith
People discover horse racing in different ways. Some are born into it and some are taken to the track as a child by a beloved adult. Some end up there by accident through a job opening and some, I imagine, are drawn to it by one horse. For me, Funny Cide was that special equine.
I did not grow up with horses, never went to the track, and only took a year of riding lessons. My parents decided ballet was a cheaper hobby (to be fair, they had twin daughters so everything was naturally doubled). I casually took in the Triple Crown races, if someone had the TV on. I recall watching the Preakness when Kauai King won in 1966, with my ballet teacher (she was rooting for Stupendous). I was not one of those kids that pined after things I could not have.
I had my horse crazy phase but once I realized that my chances of getting near a horse on a regular basis were nil, I moved on. Eventually, I married a man whose parents had two ponies and a burro. After some years, these equines came under my care, which was wonderful because I love animals. But they were like big dogs to me. Then in 2003, I was stuck at home all day and watched coverage of the Kentucky Derby. At one point, they showed that year’s Budweiser Longshot feature with Funny Cide and his assistant trainer, Robin Smullin. She was clearly none too happy that HER horse was considered a LONGSHOT and didn’t mind saying so.
“If I were you,” she said, looking right into the camera, “I wouldn’t bet against Funny Cide!”
I took her at her word. Watching that ‘Gutsy Gelding’, in 2003, come up and win, was a life-changing event for me. I have lived and breathed horse racing ever since.
Could any other horse have caught my attention that year? Maybe. There are so many amazing stories in this sport. Enough for an anthology series if someone would wake up and realize horse racing’s potential. Funny Cide’s story is that of a New York-bred horse (later gelded) that sold for $22,000 as a yearling, then resold to an aging bunch of high school friends for $75,000.
They were led to this horse by a reputable, honest, curmudgeonly trainer named Barclay Tagg.
These owners were not high rollers, jet setters, or from the landed gentry. They were the dentist, insurance agent, and hardware store owners, etc. that one used to find in Anywhere, U.S.A.
Group ownership or syndicates were something new when Secretariat ran in 1973 but even then, those people were “connected”. Not these guys. They also seemed perfectly happy to roam the country, watching their horse race in a no-frills school bus. If their less-than-glamorous presentation grabbed attention, their very realness as everyday people captured America’s heart. Funny Cide’s odds were not the longest in the 2003 Derby, but his triumph was a surprise. As he was led away from the winner’s circle an inebriated rail bird called out: “That horse will never win another race!” To which his groom answered: “Yeah? Well, he doesn’t have to.”
But he did win again. In fact, he won the Preakness two weeks later by 9 1⁄2 lengths—a new record! On to the Belmont three weeks later—where as often happens—the Derby fave, Empire Maker, finally had his day. But tell that to Funny Cide’s myriad of fans, especially the ones in New York State’s Sackets Harbor where he was greeted as a returning hero.
Funny Cide raced until 2007. I tried to follow his career but at the time, I did not have cable let alone a TVG account. I kept a huge scrapbook which my sister refers to as my ‘Stalkers Log’. I did get a chance to see him race in the 2005 Pimlico Special. My favorite horse at my favorite track! As I watched him circling the paddock, a murmur went through the crowd: “Oh, look, it’s Funny Cide!”
Word spread, the crowd grew, and then he was led out onto the famous and familiar 1870 oval. He came in fourth but we all cheered as loudly as anyone from Sackets Harbor.
After Funny Cide retired, he had a brief career as a track pony. Barclay Tagg did not want him hanging out in some “fly-infested field somewhere”. For one reason or another, he finally did retire to the Kentucky Horse Park, in their Hall of Champions. There he joined the likes of Go for Gin and Point Given. His personal paddock had previously been occupied by the great Cigar.
In 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 lockdown, I woke up with the realization that Funny Cide was turning 20. I somehow had to find a way to see him. My husband had, long ago, become used to me dragging him to racecourses across the country. Why would this be any different? After finding out that, indeed the Kentucky Horse Park was open, Jud jumped into making plans for a two-day driving trip down to Lexington, KY. And there he was! A big, beautiful, glowing, red chestnut without a speck of white. Not a warm and fuzzy horse; he only seemed interested in dealing with his grazing muzzle. “He’s a character and he knows who he is,” said his handler. Not to take away from his fellow champions, (especially the oldest living Triple Crown race winner, Go for Gin—at the time he was 29.) but most visitors came to see Funny Cide.
In 2022, I attended a Jockeys and Jeans fundraiser at Monmouth Park. Several famous jockeys were there, including Jose Santos. Mr. Santos was announced as the rider of Lemon Drop Kid but the crowd quickly shouted out: “AND FUNNY CIDE!”
Funny Cide did more than just create another fan of horse racing. I became a tour guide at Pimlico and do my part to create more fans of this Sport of Kings. I also went back to riding and adopted a Maryland-bred Off The Track Thoroughbred.
With my friend Maribeth Kalinich, the Facebook page Friends of Pimlico was started and has over 4,000 followers. We fight, every day, to save this Triple Crown track, the second oldest in America. Funny Cide was very special to me, and I often check out his Preakness winner banner that hangs in Grandstand at Old Hilltop. I support horse racing and hope that more and more people can find ‘THEIR’ horse too at the track.
April Inloes Smith went from theater to the track about 15 years ago. Her love for horses and riding led her to adopt several Maryland OTTBs. A guide for the Sunrise Tours program at the Preakness at Pimlico Race Course, April enjoys interacting with new fans and especially the kids who take the tours. She gives professional tours around historic Baltimore City of places like Poe House. A preservationist, April is constantly trying to save what she terms ‘Real Baltimore’.
Photo: April Smith with her Maryland OTTB, Bet the Cat. Photo courtesy of April Inloes Smith
