Looking at the Funny Cide of the 135^th Belmont Stakes…June 5, 2003

This Saturday at the 135^th Belmont Stakes Funny Cide will attempt to become the first horse in 25 years to win horse racing’s Triple Crown.  Since Affirmed turned back Alydar in the 1978 Belmont to become the 11th Triple Crown winner, eight other horses have tried and failed to capture racing's most elusive prize after winning the first two races, the Kentucky Derby and Preakness.

Funny Cide will start from the No. 4 hole, and the track's oddsmaker, Don LaPlace, made him a 1-1, or even money, favorite to become the first gelding to win the Triple Crown.  SportingBetUSA currently has Funny Cide at 6-5.

The mile and ½ distance usually poses a problem for both horse and jockey alike.  Couple that with the grueling schedule of 3 races in the span of 5 weeks and it’s a difficult task to stay strong.  On Tuesday Funny Cide had a most impressive workout running five-furlongs in 57 4/5 seconds, the fastest of 49 horses who breezed the same distance. 

Empire Maker, the Derby runner-up by 1 3/4 lengths, should pose to be Funny Cide’s biggest threat. The colt developed a sore foot during Derby week, then skipped the Preakness. But trainer Bobby Frankel says Empire Maker is ``dead-fit'' for the 1 1/2-mile Belmont.  SportingBetUSA has Empire Maker at 7-5.

Still Funny Cide looks to be the horse to beat.  In the 16 Belmont runnings in which a horse won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness but lost the Belmont, the field averaged 10 horses. In the 11 runnings that produced a Triple Crown winner, the average field was 5.4 horses. While a crowded field puts a premium on luck and tactics, especially in a mile-and-a-half race like the Belmont, small fields have been kind to powerful horses with high cruising speeds like Funny Cide.

The last three Triple Crown winners -- Secretariat in 1973, Seattle Slew in 1977 and Affirmed -- all trained at Belmont Park in the weeks leading up to the Belmont. Among those who didn't and fell short in Triple tries were War Emblem last year, Real Quiet in 1998, Silver Charm in 1997 and Sunday Silence in 1989.

``Funny Cide is home-based, he's been working here since he was a 2-year-old, and as a jockey I've been riding for 18 years here,'' said Funny Cide jockey Jose Santos. ``So him and I, we know every corner of the race track.''  This is an important fact at Belmont.  Because of the long distance it takes a jockey who knows the track to know when to let the horse go.  Giving the horse up too soon has cost many a race at Belmont.

Funny Cide, 3-for-3 over the track, has a lot more going for him than just being home sweet home. The great gelding is still full of energy after a usually exhausting grind of three races at three different tracks at varying distances.  It’s not glamorous, but the pick here is for Funny Cide to complete the Triple Crown.

All odds are courtesy of SportingBetUSA.

Good Luck and bet smart.

Nick Rizzo

Questions and comments can be directed to NickR@LasVegasSportsLine.com