LEXINGTON, Ky. — It’s been 20 years since the “Gusty Gelding” surprised horse fanatics from the Midwest to the east coast and around the world at the 2003 Kentucky Derby.
Funny Cide, the first New York-bred horse to win a major title, now spends his days at the Kentucky Horse Park.
During their prime season, the park celebrates horses that are currently on the track and those who have taken the track in the past.
Funny Cide is one of the few gelded horses—or a horse that has undergone neutering—to come close to being a Triple crown stakes winner. It’s one way the 2003 Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner still has a fond place in horse racing fans’ hearts.
Horse handler Paul Caywood knows the feeling firsthand.
“I fell in love with him as an intern during a college class,” Caywood said.
Visitors can meet winners at the park’s Hall of Champions—a home for title-earning horses. Funny Cide has become one of the park’s biggest crowd attractions.
“[Funny Cide] is a true ambassador for the horse park, you know… We have a lot of different breeds,” said Lee Carter, Kentucky Horse Park’s executive director. “I think for Funny Cide, having won two to three triple crown races, or in the triple crown, he truly is a cut above, right? He stands out because of his pedigree.”
His days off the track comprise quality time with visitors that can range in numbers weekly. But for a season like their spring meets and the Derby, almost 50,000 people can be expected to visit the park, with hundreds hoping to meet Funny Cide.
Caywood said he’s full of energy and has many stories of him being a friend to people and even other horses.
His journey started with horse breeder Sackatoga Stable in New York. A group of friends put funds together to purchase Funny Cide. First, iconically traveling on a school bus between races garnering titles, and later — writing the short story, “Funny Cide, the Funny Cide team,” about the friends and their time with the horse champion.
Going on two decades, Funny Cide has grazed the green grass of the horse park in Lexington. It’s where people like Gene Carter—a former horse handler before he passed—who’ve built a long-time relationship with the champ.
“One man that worked here for many years that worked with horses from 15 years of age up to 93, and I like to think Funny Cide liked having Mr. Gene Carter handling him,” Caywood said.
Funny Cide receives lots of care, snacks and special attention from just about everyone who meets him.
“You can take a picture with him, give him some treats. It’s like having a rockstar here at the park,” said Hall of Champions supervisor Robert Willis.
The Derby and Preakness champion has spent nearly 15 years at the Kentucky horse park connecting with horse racing fans and those who staff say are astonished to be meeting and or interacting with a winning horse.
Now, 20 years after his big win, he and his story still captivate visitors and especially both kids and those from the big apple.
“He is a very big east coast favorite, and a lot of people in New York remember him,” Willis said.
“A lot of times, what gets me right here — is when there’s sometimes, there’s a little child who has never seen a horse before and they realize that the first horse they’re ever interacting with is a classic dual winner, winning the Derby and the Preakness,” Caywood said.
A forever fan favorite, and with an inspiring story, they say Funny Cide is among the greatest gifts to be a permanent member of the horse racing capitol of Kentucky.