BALTIMORE – Kentucky Derby Funny Cide added another chapter to his magical Cinderella story yesterday when the exploded under Jose Santos to win the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico by 93/4 lengths, the second-biggest margin in the race’s 128-year history.
The New York-bred gelding, owned by Sackatoga Stable and trained by Barclay Tagg, heads for the June 7 Belmont Stakes with a chance to become the 12th Triple Crown winner in history, and the first since Affirmed 25 years ago.
If Funny Cide wins the Belmont, he’ll collect a $5 million bonus for sweeping the Crown.
Bet down to 9-5 favoritism in the final minutes after lingering at 5-2, Funny Cide showed speed from the gate, tracking the pace set by second choice Peace Rules. After quick splits of :23.1 and :47 over a wet track labeled “good,” Funny Cide moved up to challenge for the lead into the far turn, went to the front straightening for home, then easily kicked away to win.
Longshot Midway Road, who made a big move up the rail on the far turn, was up for second, with Scrimshaw third and Peace Rules fourth. Funny Cide ran the mile-and-three-sixteenths in 1:55.3 to pay $5.80, keying a $120.60 exacta.
With big guns like Empire Maker, whose second-place finish in the Kentucky Derby derailed an expected Triple Crown bid, Atswhatimtalknbout and Dynever sitting out the Preakness to await the Belmont Stakes, this year’s field was regarded as week, and there was little pre-race buzz about the horses themselves.
The Triple Crown chase, however, received extensive, controversial coverage a week before the Preakness.
On Saturday, May 10, an ultimately baseless story in the Miami Herald charged that a photograph of the Derby finish revealed a dark spot in winning jockey Jose Santos’ right hand as he crossed the line on Funny Cide. The story intimated the spot might be an illegal battery, known around the racetrack as a “joint,” “buzzer” and “machine,” used to shock the horse with an electric jolt in an effort to make him run faster.
The photo prompted the Churchill Downs stewards – who gave the Herald’s story legitimacy by calling the picture “very suspicious” – to launch an investigation, even though most racing professionals, after viewing other photos and tapes, quickly realized nothing dastardly occurred.
“That’s a big accusation,” Santos said. “You better make sure you are right, but they’re not. I have all the evidence I’m not carrying anything. I wouldn’t put my career in jeopardy.
“The best ‘machine’ I ever had in my life was a red machine named Funny Cide.”
Funny Cide’s trainer, Barclay Tagg, called the brouhaha “absurd.”
“There are always people who want to make [jerks] out of themselves,” he said.
Santos’ fellow jockeys in New York rallied to his defense.
“As a group, we wanted to come out to support Jose,” their statement read. “We feel the charges that have come up are unfounded and unfair. It has tarnished a great ride by a great horse in a great race.
“All of us who have ridden with Jose and have known him for years know these charges couldn’t be further from the truth. It was Jose’s day, and now it’s been unfairly dragged through the mud.”
In the end, the “scandal” proved to be much ado about nothing. Last Monday, after a three-day probe, the Churchill steward exonerated Santos unconditionally.
Chief steward Bernie Hettel announced the panel’s findings at a press conference: “We have carefully examined dozens of photographs taken from a number of different angles at various points during the race, reviewed several videotapes, and conducted a thorough interview with Mr. Santos himself.