Empire Maker - 2003 Belmont Stakes

[thespa77]

If Funny had won it would have made a lot of people up here in NY and elsewhere happy for years!! Too bad, I remember it was a depressing day. Love ya Funny.

[voodoo9606]

funny cide was nice.. him a charamatic.. were what got me in2 this.. incrdible stuff, by these horses

[vidEvWill]

Empire Maker was very talented, many touted him to be a Triple Crown chaser but never lived up to it but he finished well and won a big event.

[711ATOM]

The official winning time was 2:28.26, a terrific performance considering mud. The only Belmont that comes to mind for me that was conducted on even worse conditions was the 1982 running won by Conquistador Cielo. Conquistador Cielo was credited with 2:28 and 1/5.

[chiptastrophe]

i told my dad to mortgage the house this day. empire maker would not be denied

[phedden97]

I cried when I saw this live.

[kentuckycunctator]

How did Ten Most Wanted lose this race?

[Dahaas2003]

The big mistake was FunnyCide going to the front so early. You just can't do that at Belmont. (Well, you can, occasionally. DaTara in 2008), but generally speaking, that's a high risk option. Esp. considering it was not FunnyCide's previous M.O.

[thespa77]

Where is the love.... was with Funny, not Empire Maker.

[mtsubnative]

I was there! The rain forced all the drunks into the grandstand, except for the mudwrestlers.

[quarf53206]

Take away the rain does funny cide win?

[jhordanian]

I dont think so. In my opinion, Empire Maker and Ten Most Wanted were more talented horses and were more suited to the distance.

[PlaYah1979]

he may of not been a professional cbstve..But as durkin would say The Gutsy Gelding Funny Cide

[anubis679]

Funny Cide was done at the beginning of the homestretch....he was spent.

[micomedy08]

i wonder if empire maker's jockey thought the horse trailing him in second place was funny cide. i would have.

[rhynes2]

Empire Maker should have won. He did not race in the preakness so he was fresher and less wear. Funny Cide is a real Champion because he ran in all the big dances and did his thing.

[federicojoe]

Funny Cide was the working mans horse! NY bred and a gelding...does not exactly fit the Derby winner mold...yet he did it and more. I remember watching these races with my kids and we all rooted for him. He's to NY as Smarty Jones was to Philly.

[barsch63]

Funny Cide (KD and Preakness champ) overdid it in a morning workout that day and didn't have the staying power for the race against a fresh Empire Maker. He developed chronic respiratory problems exacerbated, some say, by an ill-advised appearance in the Breeders Cup that fall. Despite this, he continued respectably 4 more yrs.

[bunkhouse]

Anyone who also said that Funny Cide is a disappointment should have been at the Belmont. The roar of the crowd when he came out of the tunnel was unreal. And I was sitting in bleacher seats at the grandstand turn about 1,000 feet away. If you are a horse racing fan (or even a degenrate OTB gambler)from the New York area Funny Cide will always have a place in your heart. Just like Say Florida Sandy, Ruffian, FourStarDave, etc.. And how could you not like the story of the connections.

[bunkhouse]

I do not understand everyone ripping Funny Cide. He is not a great horse, but a horse that peaked at the right time. That with a bit of luck (Empire makers hoof problem going into the Derby) made him a "people's horse". If horse racing had more of these types of horses it would be so much better off.

[bunkhouse]

Funny Cide winning the Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and Jockey Club Gold Cup were great. But how many horses could bring 101,000 fans out in an horrendous all day downpour!!!! As good as Empire Maker was, he wouldn't have been able to do that. Especially with bailey in the irons. Funny Cide was a great story.

[cf1970]

Your points are VERY well made. I couldn't agree more. Negativity from race fans is real downer. Let's all enjoy the horse(s) for what they HAVE achieved. So what if Funny and other unexpected winners had a bit of luck, they still had to run well to pull it off! Funny had a TON of heart, that's why I admire him so much. Racing WOULD be WAAY more exciting with battlers like him around. Thanks for your input. Take care.

[seggymon]

funny cide is amazing, and i love him!

[cf1970]

Me too! Take care.

[NYLADY13601]

For starters, Funny Cide won the first two races of the Triple Crown, since when is winning considered as "stinking"? Empire Maker had skipped a race for a "so-called" bruised hoof so he was coming into this race COMPLETELY rested. The last leg of this race EM moved up along Funny forcing him closer to the rail where the mud was the thickest and heaviest and bogging Funny down. They should all have the same time off between the Triple Crown races.

[rebecca11391]

empire maker beat funny cide multiple times..

don't get your undies in a bunch..funny cide RARELY wins anymore anyway.

and no, they shouldn't all have the same time off because if the horse is worthy of the title triple crown winner, he should be able to beat any horse that day, with out or without rest. i'm glad funny cide lost because he turned out to not be that good of a racehorse after the triple crown...calling him a triple crown winner would be embarassing

[NYLADY13601]

Embarassing to whom, to those who were embarassed that an underdog horse beat the high priced snob bluebloods? It would have been the best thing that ever happened since Seabiscuit. Funny came from the down-to-erath working class, he stood for the majority people of this country. You don't see any of these horses out running and winning now.

[rebecca11391]

i'm happy for him that he won the derby and the preakness but it would be embarassing to sir barton, gallent fox, omaha, war admiral, whirlaway, count fleet, assault, citation, secretariat, seattle slew, and affirmed because they all had AMAZING careers after the triple crown and funny cide did not. he won 2 races in 2004 and didn't win a race for around 2 years...

[NYLADY13601]

Get real! Past race horses don't care who won before them or after them. It's only embarrassing to the those who got beat by one that THEY think they are better then. You don't need a long amazing career to be great. If a an "everyday joe" saved the life, in passing, of another "everyday joe", does it get passed off as nothing compared to a doctor who saves a life of a patient? Greatness is greatness.

[rebecca11391]

(2nd part of comment)

that would be embarassing for a triple crown winner. what's worse is that he is still racing and there is a book about him. it would be a better story if he actually did well after those races

[NYLADY13601]

You have totally missed what Funny accomplished in his short career and what this horse means to the average general public. Funny by all means was no great long time winning racer, but, HE WON WHEN IT COUNTED THE MOST. Watch the movie Seabiscuit and you might get an idea to what this horse meant (minus the Biscuits wins) and look deeper into the emotions to the lows in the country at the time,when people needed to look for hope and got it from a small town hereo.

[rebecca11391]

wow funny cide is nothing like seabiscuit. he won 2 out of 3 really important races, big whoop. funny cide's career was not short.. he is still RACING! and LOSING! he's not that good a race horse and it would be embarassing to compare him to horses like the triple crown winners... and any other great race horses. he didn't even do that great in the derby preps. its stupid that anyone would consider him a "hero" when he's probably let them down more times then brought them up

[cf1970]

Rebecca, while I respect your opinion, I understand and have to agree with NYLADY'S point of view regarding Funny Cide's importance to the average race horse lover. He was a very good horse that deserves his credit, even though he didn't win a whole lot. So what if his career is on the decline, that's the way it goes sometimes. Continued...

[cf1970]

To be fair, Funny Cide WAS a hero to a LOT of people. To most of us that can only DREAM of owning or racing a thoroughbred, many lived vicariously through Funny for a time while he was winning those big races. The fact that he isn't winning much anymore doesn't diminish what he means to those that still love him. Those memories and future hopes will remain until he retires. Continued...

[cf1970]

I WILL delete any more comments made by ANYONE like "stupid", or anything similar. Showing respect WHILE making a comment is the only way I'll allow comments to be posted here. I'm not going to let this get out of hand like, for example, those Secretariat vs. Man O' War video comments. No way, no how. That was an AWFUL and shocking fight. Regardless, take care, both of you. We all love horses, please, let's keep it friendly. Peace.

[NYLADY13601]

I agree. Funny Cide didn't win the Triple crown, had he done so he surely wouldn't have been a disappointment nor been an embarrassement. We still loved him and always will, negative comments won't change that nor will it take away his famous wins and what this horse stands for.

[JockeyxDream]

i don't think he was the faster horse, i just think, he had more endurance than funny. if you look funny just lost steam, he was tired. if the track was halfway decent, and they had held funny back longer, he would have one. i think he gave empire maker a run for his money. i mean he did beat him in the derby.lol

[rebecca11391]

well empire maker just went right on by funny cide...i wouldn't call that a run for your money. keep in mind: if the track was halfway decent..yea funny cide would have run better but so would everyone else. true, funny cide beat empire maker in the derby, but empire maker beat funny cide in the wood and the belmont.& also you can't say that empire maker just had more endurence because he beat funny cide at 1 1/16 (which is shorter then the kentucky derby) too

[shelooksfamous]

Empire maker skipped the Preakness, he was a fresh horse on Belmont day, and the worn out Funny Cide disliked the mud.

[rebecca11391]

i think that empire maker was just a faster horse then funny cide