Empire Maker - 2003 Belmont Stakes

The 2003 won by the excellent Empire Maker, denying the game Funny Cide the Triple Crown.

Category:

Sports

Tags:

• Thoroughbred
• Horse
• Racing
• Empire
• Maker
• Ten
• Most
• Wanted
• Funny
• Cide
• 2003
• Belmont
• Stakes
• Tom
• Durkin
• New
• York

[seggymon]

funny cide is amazing, and i love him!

[cf1970]

Me too! Take care.

[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.

[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.

[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.