2003 Kentucky Derby (G1) and Preakness Stakes (G1) winner Funny Cide has died due to complications of colic at 23 years old.
The son of Distorted Humor had been residing at the Hall of Champions at the Kentucky Horse Park for the past 15 years. He will be cremated and buried there. A winner of $3,529,412 in 38 starts, the gelding retired in 2007 with a record of 11-6-8 for trainer Barclay Tagg.
Undefeated at 2, New York-bred Funny Cide won on first asking at Belmont Park and followed with victories in the Bertram F. Bongard Stakes and Sleepy Hollow Stakes.

The next year he was second in the Louisiana Derby (G2) and Wood Memorial Stakes (G1) before reaching his best form right on time. He would capture the Kentucky Derby by 1 3/4 lengths over Derby favorite Empire Maker , who had edged Funny Cide by a half-length in the Wood Memorial. With the win, Funny Cide became the first gelding to win the Derby since Clyde Van Dusen in 1929. Funny Cide would then blitz his Preakness Stakes rivals under regular rider and eventual Hall of Famer Jose Santos, drawing off in the stretch to score by 9 3/4 lengths.
At 4 he ran third in the Donn Handicap (G1) and New Orleans Handicap (G2) before winning the Excelsior Breeders’ Cup Handicap (G3) in April at Aqueduct. During the summer, he was second in the Massachusetts Handicap (G2), Saratoga Breeders’ Cup Handicap (G2), and third runner-up in the Suburban Handicap (G1). He then earned another top-level win with a victory in the Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) back at Belmont Park. He closed out the year with an off-the-board finish in the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Lone Star Park.

Racing to age 7, gelding Funny Cide would nail down three more stakes wins, the 2006 Kings Point Handicap at Aqueduct and Dominion Day Stakes (G3) at Woodbine, and then in his last year on the oval in 2007 he went out with a win in the Wadsworth Memorial Handicap, winning by three lengths.