Belmont Stakes Live thread - A Funny thing happened on the way to the Triple Crown? Empire Maker!

Belmont Stakes Website ^ | June 7, 2003

[HairOfTheDog]

Race Time: 5:38 p.m. Central time. NBC will televise.
Pre-race show on ESPN now

Funny Cide Runs For History Despite Rainy Belmont Stakes
By Bruno Zalubil| June 7, 2003

2003 Belmont Stakes

photo by Rick Schmitt

D espite rains that have drenched thousands of faithful fans, Funny Cide will run for Visa Triple Crown immortality when he goes to post today for the 135th running of the $1 million Belmont Stakes (Gr. 1) at 6:38 p.m. EDT at Belmont Park.

Track conditions for Belmont Stakes Day have slowly deteriorated throughout the day. The main track was changed to sloppy prior to the sixth race. The turf course is soft. The 12th race is the only race that has been removed from the turf. Complete scratches and changes are available on the Belmont Park Main Page. There are no scratches or changes in the Belmont Stakes.

The Belmont Stakes will be run as the 11th of 13 races. General Admission is still available for $2. The event will also be televised on ESPN from 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. EDT and on NBC from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. EDT.

Funny Cide, a New York-bred gelding, will break from post position No. 4 in the 1 1/2-mile race. He must beat five horses to become the 12th winner of the Visa Triple Crown and the first since Affirmed in 1978. If he can win the third jewel, Sackatoga Stable will receive the $5 million Visa Triple Crown Challenge bonus.

Jose Santos, who rode the New York-bred gelding to victories in the Kentucky Derby (Gr. 1) and Preakness Stakes (Gr. 1), will again be aboard for trainer Barclay Tagg.

The post positions for the 135th Running of the $1 million Belmont Stakes (Gr. 1) for 3-year-olds at 1 1/2 miles, with post position, owner, trainer, jockey and odds as of 3:30 p.m. EDT, are as follows:

1 Empire Maker (Juddmonte Farms Inc., Robert Frankel, Jerry Bailey) 4
2 Supervisor (Rodney Lundock, Linda Rice, John Velazquez) 11
3 Scrimshaw (Bob & Beverly Lewis, D. Wayne Lukas, Gary Stevens) 8
4 Funny Cide (Sackatoga Stable, Barclay Tagg, Jose Santos) 3-5
5 Dynever (C. Wills & P. Karches, Christophe Clement, Edgar Prado) 7
6 Ten Most Wanted (J. Chisholm, et al., Wallace Dollase, Pat Day) 8

[HairOfTheDog]

BELMONT STAKES : 1 2 down, 1 /2 miles to go

BY DICK JERARDI PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS

Saturday, June 7, 2003

PHILADELPHIA — Before Secretariat dominated the Triple Crown 30 years ago like it never had been dominated, people were saying it was too difficult. "I think people had begun to feel that it was never going to happen," said Penny Chenery, Secretariat’s owner. "I understood the feeling of the fans. And the pressure to produce a winner was intense. That’s the only negative thing ... But it’s a wonderful experience to go through. We all just wish Visa had been around when we had our moments."

That would be Visa and its $5 million Triple Crown bonus. The cash and history are what is on the line for Funny Cide and his connections in today’s Belmont Stakes....*continued*....

[Source: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette :: Sports ]

1	Empire Maker

Owner:	Juddmonte Farms Inc.
Trainer:	Robert Frankel
Jockey:	Jerry Bailey
Morning Line:	6-5

2	Supervisor

Owner:	Dr. Rodney G. Lundock
Trainer:	Linda Rice
Jockey:	John Velazquez
Morning Line:	50

3

Scrimshaw

Owner:	Robert B. and Beverly J. Lewis
Trainer:	D. Wayne Lukas
Jockey:	Gary Stevens
Morning Line:	20

4	Funny Cide

Owner:	Sackatoga Stables and Jackson Knowlton
Trainer:	Barclay Tagg
Jockey:	Jose Santos
Morning Line:	1

5

Dynever

Owner:	Dr. Catherine Wills and Peter Karches
Trainer:	Christophe Clement
Jockey:	Edgar Prado
Morning Line:	5

6	Ten Most Wanted

Owner:	J. Paul Reddam, Michael Jarvis, James Chisholm and Horizon Stable
Trainer:	Wallace Dollase
Jockey:	Pat Day
Morning Line:	10

[HairOfTheDog]

Previous Races Ping...

[hole_n_one]

It's gonna be a muddy mess.......

[hole_n_one]

[SamAdams76]

FunnyCide is a horse? I've been hearing a lot about FunnyCide over the past few weeks and I just assumed it was some rap singer they were talking about.

[HairOfTheDog]

Previous Races ping!

[HairOfTheDog]

Name this Quote:

"His Father was a Mudder?"

[HairOfTheDog]

Se... now yer hip.... you are in the *know*

[Molly Pitcher]

Great thread. Thanks.

[HairOfTheDog]

Thanks... I was hopin' you would be around for pics!

[hole_n_one]

Seinfeld

[aristeides]

We've had torrential rains and flooding here in the D.C. area today. How heavy has the rain been at Belmont?

[savedbygrace]

Is he a mudder?

[hole_n_one]

It's pouring......

[HairOfTheDog]

Previous Races Ping...

[PoorMuttly]

A horse ate his Fodder ?!!

[Katya]

This is just so exciting...I was a teen when Affirmed won, and remember having the ultimate crush on Steve Cauthen.

[hole_n_one]

ESPN talking head seems to think that the mud will not have any impact on 2 of the 6 horses in the field

Funny Cide was mentioned as one of the two.....

[HairOfTheDog]

...I was a teen when Affirmed won, and remember having the ultimate crush on Steve Cauthen.

I had a poster of him in my room. ;~D

Steve Cauthen with Affirmed on the 20th anniversary of their Triple Crown victory. (AP)

[Unknown Freeper]

Geez, hole, you're everywhere today. lol. As always, thanks for your efforts here.