Six to take on Funny Cide

Dialy Racing Form ^ | 6/2/03 | JAY PRIVMAN

[fly_so_free]

ELMONT, N.Y.-No horse has won the Triple Crown in 25 years, a streak Funny Cide will try to end in Saturday's 135th Blemont Stakes. He is the eith horse since Affirmed to win both the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness stakes, the fifth in the last eight years. None- not Pleasent Colony, Alysheba, Sunday Silence, Silver Charm, Real Quiet, Charismatic, nor War Emblem -could complete the sweep. The Herculean task awaiting Funny Cide, is something his trainer Barclay Tagg, has been reminded of repeatedly...

[fly_so_free]

This race is going to be something else. I hope Funny Cide can do it. Might be an off track, The weather report is calling for rain in New York for Saturday. He -Funny Cide- did have a bullet work over the surface on Monday. Its looking good for him. Fingers crossed. Link to article http://www.drf.com/tc/belmont/2003/news.html

[Mr. Mulliner]

I hope he does it too. Wasn't he the first gelding to win the Derby in something like 70 years? Just to think of the accomplishment to win the Triple Crown after so many years without anyone doing it.

I'm not really that much of a horse race fan, but if you want to talk great horses, I think Secretariat is at the top of my list, at least in my lifetime.

[fly_so_free]

Bullet work was last week. He galloped on Monday. Let me try link again http://www.drf.com/tc/belmont/2003/news.html. its for Daily Racing Form. I swear I'm dyslexic.

[newgeezer]

Copy-and-paste is your friend. ;O)

[TedsGarage]

I'd love to see Funny Cide win the Triple Crown. I bet on him in the Derby and the Preakness, but my money is looking at Empire Maker or Dynever on Saturday.

[fly_so_free]

"Secretariat is at the top of my list"

Mine too. He was a great horse. He was a freak. In horse racing , that's considered a good thing. There are things about Funny Cide that make me wonder weather he might one too.

The last time a gelding won a Triple Crown race was 1929. The last time a horse won the Preakness by 10 lenghths, was in the 1800's. Funny Cide won by "supposedly" 9 3/4 lengths. (Sheesh, they could have just said 10).

He does seem to be a freak. When he pulled away from the field in the Preakness and just kept getting farther and farther ahead, it gave me chills. The camera caught a shot of him at one point, and he was in perfect stride, he was reaching out with his front legs and he was just rolling. It was beautiful to watch. Here's hoping he makes it.

By the way , they will probally be running the documentary about Secretariat this week on ESPN. It's really good. I can freep mail you and let you know when it comes on if you want.

[Mr. Mulliner]

Yes, please freepmail me when the Secretariat documentary is on. I don't get cable, but I can drive over to my parents' place to watch it if I know ahead of time.

Thanks!

[PISANO]

The GREAT thing about a GELDING winning the Triple Crown aside from the fact that it has never been done before, it puts racing fans in for a treat for the next 5 or 6 years. The GREAT KELSO, a gelding, ran until he was around 9 or so. There will be some great HANDICAP races in store for us racing fans.

[fly_so_free]

"my money is on Empire Maker"

Word is, he's been training impressively. It's going to be a good race.

[fly_so_free]

Okay, will let you know.

[fly_so_free]

It will be so good for racing if he wins. Between Funny Cide and the Seabiscuit movie coming out, horse racing will get alot of exposure. That's an added bonus about the Belmont this Sturday too. We will get to see clips from "Seabiscuit". It looks like an awesome movie.

[Mr. Mulliner]

Not long ago I saw a film on PBS about Seabiscuit. Very interesting!

[fly_so_free]

Copy and paste is your friend.

But see the problem is with the Teradachtyl who has his beak on the hard drive and the Brontasaurus. My Computer is like something from the Flintstones. It's also very tempermental. Sometimnes it does what you want it to, and sometimes it doesn't.

[oldironsides]

The person that made the decision to cut (geld) Funny Cide must be having bad dreams about now. Maybe they saved his sperm? I really hope so.

[fly_so_free]

If you liked the documentary, you have to read the book "Seabiscuit" by Laura Hildebrand. It is one of the best books I have ever read. I'm not just saying that because I love horse stories, you would like it even if your not into racing. It has everything, including American history. It's been called "An American story" I can almost guarantee you will like it.

[fly_so_free]

With alot of horses, the only way to get them to keep their minds on racing is to geld them. John Henry comes to mind. They couldn't use his sperm even if they had it because there is a rule against artifical insemination with thoroughbreds. I guess they think it would be too easy to mess up the blood lines if they allowed it. All thoroughbreds are descended from 3 original horses. What will happen is the value of his (Funny Cide's ) sire and dam will go up. Also any full and half brothers and sisters of his will have increased value in the breeding shed, if they show racing ability.

[beckett]

With alot of horses, the only way to get them to keep their minds on racing is to geld them.

If they geld to keep the horse's mind on racing, why has a Kentucky Derby winning gelding been so rare? If gelding heightens a horse's concentration, shouldn't it be a more popular procedure among the top horses?

I guess I'm just confused about why they geld a horse at all. What are the criteria for deciding that this horse should be gelded, but that one should not? Is it sort of like Ritalin for horses or something? Doesn't the associated loss of male hormone weaken the horse?

[TedsGarage]

Funny Cide was gelded because only one of his testicles descended. It's a common procedure for horses with that condition.

[fly_so_free]

Funny Cide was gelded because he was a ridgeling, meaning one of his testicles did not descend, so it had to be done for his health.

Horses are gelded for different reasons. Have you ever had to get your male dog or cat neutered because they were having behavior problems, i.e aggressiveness exc..? Now imagine your dog or cat to be about 5 to 5 1/2 feet tall at the shoulder and weighing in with 1,100 lbs of muscle on him. He would be hard to control right? It's the same with horses. Also stallions instinctively want to fight with one another to establish dominance. Sometimes the best way to get a horse to calm down is to geld him. I don't know why more geldings haven't won any of the Triple Crown races, because there have been some truly great racehorses who were gelded. The Triple Crown is just so hard to win any way. Only 12 horses have done it in THE LAST 134 YEARS. I Hope Funny Cide can do it.