Subsidized Gelding: How Does It Work? Kentucky and North Carolina Launch Programs

by Fran Jurga | 12 June 2009 | The Jurga Report

Yesterday this blog broached the subject of the need for low-cost castration of colts and ungelded older horses as one way to help reduce the burgeoning horse population.

Today I read about new programs launched in Kentucky and North Carolina that might be inspirational to other states or organizations.

The Kentucky Horse Council (KHC) program is funded by SoHo (Save Our Horses), a tax-deductible fund to support KHC Health & Welfare offerings. Eligible applicants may work directly with local veterinarians to schedule services. After service completion, the veterinarians are directly paid a portion of fees (up to $100 per horse not to exceed $250 per household for multiple horses).

In April, the Kentucky Horse Council offered a low-cost geld clinic in partnership with Morehead State University (MSU), which was also funded by SOHO.

More information including requirements, limitations, and a program application are available online at www.kentuckyhorse.org

The robust "Stallion to Gelding Support" effort in North Carolina, known as "SGS", has been launched to directly decrease the number of stallions who may intentionally or accidentally produce foals this year. In this way, this program is slightly different from the Kentucky plan.

SGS is particularly aimed at pasture breeding, and owners who run stallions with mares, while not intentionally breeding or selectively combining stallions and mares. Anyone in this situation is eligible for free gelding, as is anyone who has been using a stallion for breeding but who cannot afford a veterinarian's charge for gelding.

Hearing about these programs is like a breath of fresh air. The North Carolina fund is accepting donations, and it is worthy of support--and imitation. A companion program for low-cost euthanasia and burial or disposal would be another giant leap forward.

Click here to read our story on a low-cost euthanasia plan initiative trial launched in 2008 in Northern California.

All Eyes Are on Kentucky, But Montana Is Stealing the Real Headlines

by Fran Jurga | 2 May 2009 | The Jurga Report



Didn't we fight the Civil War over this very issue?

States' rights is an amazing aspect of the US legal and legislative system. If you are old enough, you may remember when abortion was legal in some states and not in others. Roe v. Wade made it legal in all states but not everyone wanted to accept the Supreme Court decision. And they still don't. Ditto for any number of legal decisions that are morally or ethically based.

Including horse slaughter.

As celebrities and wealthy patrons of all stripes walk the rose-strewn carpets of Churchill Downs today, the focus might be more on the safety of racing and the tragic losses of Eight Belles and Barbaro than on horse slaughter because many people think that horse slaughter is an issue that has been ruled illegal in the United States. All that is left to do is clear up the nasty detail of shipping horses to Canada and Mexico.

Just a detail, right?

Hardly.

A testing of the waters began in North Dakota, Arkansas, Illinois and other states this winter to see if individual states could foster horse slaughter plants as favored ag industries within their borders. Along with the quiet work of agricultural industry sub-committees was relentless publicity about horse abandonment and neglect in record numbers.

Montana is the first state to technically allow horse "processing" and whether or not a horse plant is built remains to be seen but you have now seen lawmakers and lobbyists getting a job done. It will take a lot of anti-slaughter attorneys and a lot of anti-slaughter money to undo it, if indeed it can be undone.

Or, if the anti-slaughter movement has enough attorneys, enough sympathetic judges and enough money, I suppose it could end up eventually in Washington as some sort of a Supreme Court case.

I still don't believe that there is enough money in horse meat to warrant this action and that this is the larger meatpacking industry preserving its turf from intervention, and have been all along.

Now seems like a great time to start working on a compromise between the two sides to make sure that if slaughter is to be allowed in the USA again, the transport laws will have some teeth and will be enforced, and that the horses that are sent to slaughter are sent there with the knowledge and clear intent of their owners.

I'd love it if someone like Jeanine Edwards on ESPN/NBC today looked straight into the camera and said, "Here I am at Churchill Downs, America's most famous racetrack. Statistics show that a surprisingly large percentage of the horses racing here, as at all racetracks, will end their lives before the age of six, in the chute of a horse slaughter plant."

There just aren't enough roses to cover up the truth. Listen carefully: you will be able to hear the Montana legislators laughing in the distance over the two-minute roar of the Derby crowd.

Kentucky Derby Barbie, Meet Backstretch Barbie: Which Would You Buy?

by Fran Jurga | 3 April 2009 | The Jurga Report

The Louisville's Courier-Journal tells us that the Kentucky Derby Museum's gift shop's shelves are stocked with a special commemorative Kentucky Derby Barbie doll. And I'm still scratching my head.

I guess my initial reaction is surprise. They still make Barbie dolls? People still buy them?

My next reaction was more positive, as in: Wow, Mattel thinks that horse racing is worthy of creating a commemorative doll. Maybe the industry isn't as deep in the gutter as it thinks it is.

But if we lived in a perfect world, which we don’t, how great would it be to give shoppers and collectors a choice of dolls? Yes, you do think of women in hats and fab frocks on Derby Day, because that’s what the media shows us.

But what about the women on the backside of the racetrack--shouldn't they be portrayed in a doll? Little girls could choose either the frock-and-heels Turf Club Barbie or maybe Backstretch Barbie, an exercise rider dressed in black fringed chaps, with some great tattoos, a body protector vest and a jock helmet with cool goggles.

Exercise riders have arms even Michelle Obama would envy...

One of my key memories of last year's Belmont was when exercise rider/assistant trainer Michelle Nevin ran out into the deep track toward Big Brown as he was pulled up at the finish. She was dressed in her in-case-we-get-to-the-winners-circle clothes and looked so different from the athletic figure who'd been photographed in her work clothes a million times in the months running up to that moment. You wouldn't have recognized her on the street.

Every summer, the thought flashes before me that the New York Times is missing a great photo feature for the Style section by not doing a fashion shoot of the exercise riders at Saratoga--male and female. I could see an assemblage of them on the cover of Vanity Fair. Annie Leibovitz, are you reading this?

Maybe flowered-frock Barbie is the image the Derby's marketing department wants to project. But little girls would think that Backstretch Barbie was Way Cool. She's got style, and the attitude and guts to pull it off.

And how about a sunburned Infield Barbie, wearing a tank-top, cutoffs and carrying a Churchill Downs beer cooler?

Thanks to Sarah K. Andrew of Rock and Racehorses equine photography for her use of the photo of Saratoga exercise riders. Sarah writes, "I owned exactly one Barbie, and her only purpose in life was to ride the Barbie Horse."

Kentucky Derby Barbie is for sale online for $47 at the Kentucky Derby Store web site. Maybe, like Michelle Nevin, she comes with a change of clothes.

Rest in Roses: Kentucky Derby Champion Alysheba Was Euthanized Last Night

by Fran Jurga   |  28 March 2009  |  The Jurga Report at Equisearch.com

As the horse racing world gears up for an exciting afternoon of racing with the the 2009 Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park, a pall of sadness drifts across the landscape. It's source? An empty stall at the Kentucky Horse Park outside Lexington.

"Alysheba" is the name on the stall plate.

The Kentucky Derby winner and Horse of the Year was humanely euthanized at 11:13 pm Friday at the Hagyard Equine Medical Institute, a short trot across Iron Works Parkway from the Horse Park. The 25-year-old stallion was buried this morning at the Hall of Champions, across from the grave of the legendary John Henry.

Alysheba fell in his stall on Friday afternoon and was not able to get up. Hagyard's Dr. Nathan Slovis was immediately called to the Kentucky Horse Park, and an equine ambulance transported Alysheba up the long driveway and across the road. Dr. Slovis and his team treated Alysheba and evaluated his condition. By evening, it was clear that he had sustained an insurmountable injury.

“Due to a chronic degenerative spinal condition that led to ataxia and instability, Alysheba fell in his stall yesterday injuring his right hind femur,” said Kathy Hopkins, Kentucky Horse Park Director of Equine Operations. “Complicated by his advanced age, this trauma resulted in severe pain that did not respond to analgesic therapy. The resulting pain and suffering, and the inability to stand unaided, led to a joint decision for euthanasia. This very difficult decision was made by the veterinary staff of Hagyard Medical, the veterinary staff of His Majesty King Abdullah, and those who loved and cared for him at the Kentucky Horse Park.”

From  John Nicholson, Executive Director of the Kentucky Horse Park: “Discussions with Dr. Slovis and King Abdullah’s team, however, led us to conclude that this was the right thing to do for Alysheba, and Hagyard’s staff performed admirably in such a difficult situation. I am grateful to His Majesty for giving us the opportunity to enjoy this special horse and share him again with his many fans, and I am happy that his last days were spent here on his native soil.”

Frank McGovern, General Manager of King Abdullah’s stables in Saudi Arabia, participated in the decision and thanked the park staff for trying to save Alysheba. He stated “his injury is one of those incidents that is not uncommon in older horses, and, unfortunately, nothing can ever be done. I am glad that he was back home and enjoying the first shoots of Spring before this happened.” He added his thanks to the Kentucky Horse Park team “for their work in making Alysheba a star again.”

Before coming to the Kentucky Horse Park, Alysheba spent the previous eight years of his life in the royal stables of His Majesty King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, after standing his first years at stud at William S. Farish's Lane's End Farm in Versailles, Kentucky. Known on the track as “America’s horse,” he was sent to the Kentucky Horse Park as a gift to the American people in October 2008.

Bred by Preston Madden at Hamburg Place in Lexington, Alysheba (Alydar-Bel Sheba, by Lt. Stevens) was sold as a yearling to Dorothy and Pam Scharbauer for $500,000. They campaigned him under the guidance of Hall of Fame trainer, Jack Van Berg, who said, “He stuck out like a diamond in a rock pile.” Later, Van Berg observed, “He was so smart he knew what he was doing all the time.”

Alysheba won the 1987 Kentucky Derby (G1), Preakness Stakes (G1), Super Derby (G1), and an Eclipse Award as Champion 3-year-old colt. As a 4-year-old, he was even better, winning six Grade 1 stakes: the Strub Stakes, Santa Anita Handicap, Iselin Handicap, Woodward Stakes, Meadowlands Cup and the Breeders’ Cup Classic. He was ridden in 17 consecutive starts by Hall of Fame Jockey, Chris McCarron. Alysheba is listed at #42 on The Blood-Horse magazine’s list of the Top 100 U.S. Racehorses of the 20th Century, one notch above another Kentucky Derby-winner, Northern Dancer.

His career highlights also included Horse of the Year honors and track records for 1 1/4 miles at Belmont and The Meadowlands. Along the way, he defeated Risen Star, Forty Niner, Bet Twice, Seeking the Gold, and another Kentucky Derby-winner, the ill-fated Ferdinand. Until two-time Horse of the Year Cigar came along, Alysheba was the world’s richest Thoroughbred, with earnings of $6,679,242.

A memorial service for Alysheba will be planned at a later date.

Who could ever forget Alysheba and Ferdinand, two great Kentucky Derby winners, racing neck and neck down the middle of the track? Thanks for the memories, Alysheba.

Thanks to the Kentucky Horse Park for assistance with this post. ESPN will broadcast the Florida Derby at 5 p.m. today and may have more information and possibly a look back at Alysheba, although I don't know what their plans are.

Creepy-Crawlies Invade Kentucky Horse Farms: Are Pregnant Mares At Risk Again?

A sure sign of spring: Eastern tent caterpillars are hatching in Kentucky. (South Dakota forestry image)

What on earth could possess them? Researchers tell us today that horses in Kentucky pastures actually do eat eastern tent caterpillars, properly known as Malacosoma americanum (Fabricius). You know them by the damage they do; these little caterpillars spin thick webs on tree limbs...and then munch their way to metamorphosis on emerging young leaves. Once hatched, they fly away, leaving a denuded tree limb behind. But for pregnant mares, they could pose a much greater risk.



Experts at the University of Kentucky today reported that eastern tent caterpillars have begun hatching in central Kentucky and that their population numbers are trending up.

It seems like only yesterday that the horse industry in central Kentucky was devastated by an event known as Mare Reproductive Loss Syndrome (MRLS). The 2001-2002 event caused the loss of an estimated 30 percent of that year's Thoroughbred foal crop, with serious losses suffered by mares of all breeds of horses. After several false tries, the finger of guilt was finally pointed at the caterpillars, which were especially populous that year.

University of Kentucky College of Agriculture entomologist Lee Townsend will be closely monitoring caterpillar development over the next two to three weeks. He and his colleagues anticipate full-grown larvae by the third week of April. From the end of April to the beginning of May, caterpillars will likely leave the trees where they’ve eaten the available foliage and search for additional food to complete their development.

Once the caterpillars have reached these dispersing stages, controlling them becomes much more difficult, Townsend said. If needed, control should target caterpillars while they are gathered together in the trees. Apparently they love ornamental cherry trees, the bright pink-purple blossoms of which are such an exclamation point on spring landscapes.

However, Kentucky's Townsend cautions against spraying too early. That won't work, either. Obviously, timing is everything.

Studies since the 2001-2002 MRLS outbreak revealed that horses inadvertently will eat the caterpillars in the grass. When they do, the caterpillar hairs embed into the protective lining of the alimentary tract. Once that barrier is breached, normal alimentary tract bacteria may gain access to and reproduce in sites with reduced immunity, such as the fetus and placenta. Fetal death or weak foals from these roaming alimentary tract bacteria are hallmarks of MRLS.

UK entomologists recommend that unless horse farm managers have been aggressive in managing eastern tent caterpillars, or removing host trees, they should keep pregnant mares out of pastures bordered by cherry trees or other hosts for the next several weeks.

At many farms, steps have already been taken to cut limbs that overhang or border paddocks. But eastern tent caterpillars are found in many states and horse breeders should be aware of the danger they pose. Apparently the ingestion of the caterpillars does not have known health risks for horses other than pregnant mares.

For a fact sheet about eastern tent caterpillars, as well as periodic updates, please visit the University of Kentucky's special web page on the caterpillar problem. Ohio State University has a helpful web page on how to wage war on eastern tent caterpillars.

Barbaro's Feet Won't Touch the Ground in New Memorial Sculpture at Churchill Downs

This 2006 Churchill Downs photo suggests the pose captured by sculptress Alexa King for Barbaro's memorial statue, which will be unveiled this spring at the Louisville, Kentucky racetrack.

The public unveiling of a larger-than-life bronze statue to celebrate the life of 2006 Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro will take place at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky on the morning of Sunday, April 26, as the 2009 Derby Week begins in the city.

Production of the bronze statue is nearing its final stages under the direction of sculptor Alexa King. Her design captures Barbaro and jockey Edgar Prado in mid-flight between strides nearing the finish line, on their way to a dramatic victory in the 2006 Kentucky Derby.

The unique statue will be mounted on a horizontal bronze rail that will support the 1,500-pound artwork, creating the impression that Barbaro and his rider are suspended in air. It is the first time that an equine statue of this size and scope has been presented with all four of the horse’s feet off the ground.

The statue will become the focal point of Barbaro’s official memorial and burial site at Churchill Downs. It will be placed outside Churchill Downs’ Gate 1 and near the entrance to the Kentucky Derby Museum along with Barbaro’s ashes, which will be interred beneath the bronze. Currently, a bronze marker, featuring Barbaro’s likeness, marks the location of the future memorial site beneath a large magnolia tree.

The 135th running of the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands is scheduled for Saturday, May 2.

WEG Stadium Shapes Up at Kentucky Horse Park

The main stadium for the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games is under construction at the Kentucky Horse Park outside Lexington, with an opening scheduled for this April's Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event.

A firm (but not too firm) foundation is being laid with mat-based footing from German consultants OTTO Sportund Reitplatz GmbH.

News today from Kentucky tells us that work is progressing on the main outdoor stadium at the Kentucky Horse Park, which will be the center stage for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games (WEG) next year in Lexington.

The almost 130,000 square-foot arena and an attached warm-up area of 40,000 square feet are the focus of construction for the German firm of OTTO Sportund Reitplatz GmbH. The work is likely to be finished this month, and the official inauguration will be during the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day-Event at the end of April 2008.

The arena design is based on OTTO Riding Arena Mats which were also used in the arena at Aachen, Germany for the 2006 WEG. The mats are covered by 2,800 tons of a special riding sand mixture. The combination of silica sand, synthetic fiber and mats is designed to give horses a more secure and less stressful stride, and the mix even has a moisture control system to prevent dust. Proper drainage is another aspect that has been researched by the consultants.

Once the OTTO group finishes the main arena, they won't be able to relax; there are more arenas to be built in time for WEG at the Horse Park, but having the main arena available for Rolex is a schedule priority.

CEM Investigation Expands to 20 States: Virginia Horse Farms Quarantined

(State of Virginia news alert)

Dr. Richard L. Wilkes, State Veterinarian with the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS), today placed full or partial quarantines on farms in Floyd and Goochland counties. Mares at these farms have had contact with a stallion in Kentucky that tested positive for Contagious Equine Metritis (CEM).

State animal health officials are trying to verify the location of one other Virginia mare that may have been exposed to the same stallion.

Since the CEM positive stallion was identified in Kentucky last week, animal health officials have identified 20 other states that may have mares that have been exposed to infective semen.

“We don’t know yet if the Virginia mares are infected,” said Wilkes, “but since CEM is not normally found in the US., we have placed the two farms under quarantine to protect other horses while we test the individual mares.”

CEM is a highly contagious venereal disease, which usually results in temporary infertility. Its effects are restricted to the reproductive tract of the mare. Transmission is usually due to sexual contact or artificial insemination but can occur by other types of contact. The disease is diagnosed using special bacterial culturing techniques and has a 100 percent success rate for treatment.

In severe cases, symptoms include an obvious discharge from the vagina. In other cases, mares may be infected with less obvious symptoms or no symptoms at all. Infected mares may fail to become pregnant after breeding or rarely, may abort their foals. Infected stallions usually do not show any symptoms.

The State Veterinarian has quarantined the farms to prevent spread of the disease while exposed mares are evaluated. On farms with isolation capability, only that isolated area is quarantined. Farms that cannot isolate the individual mare are under full quarantine, which restricts movement of any horses on or off the grounds.

For more information on the Virginia suspect cases, click here.

For more information on CEM, click here.

Scroll down to read more posts on this blog containing information from the state of Kentucky, where the infected stallions have been breeding.

Contagious Equine Metritis in Central Kentucky: More Information from University

The University of Kentucky has been working with state officials to resolve the problem of recent contagious equine metritis (CEM) cases at a central Kentucky Quarter horse farm. The university provided this informational article on the disease and the situation there:

A 16-year-old Quarter Horse stallion residing in Kentucky tested positive for the causal agent of Contagious Equine Metritis (CEM), a bacterium Taylorella equigenitalis, on Dec. 10. CEM is considered a foreign animal disease that occurs in breeding populations in various countries in the world. The test was performed by the University of Kentucky Livestock Disease Diagnostic Center (LDDC) and reported to the Kentucky state veterinarian.

According to officials, two additional stallions on the same farm have now also been confirmed positive. The original stallion has completed treatment, and the additional cases are being prepared for treatment. All horses identified as at risk of exposure are under quarantine and undergoing testing. An update can be found on the Kentucky Department of Agriculture Web site at www.kyagr.com.

Researchers at UK’s Maxwell H. Gluck Equine Research Center and LDDC have been informed and are working closely with state veterinarian Robert Stout and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

According to Gluck researchers, CEM is a sexually transmitted disease that only affects members of the equine family. It does not present an immediate risk of spread to the general horse population as long as state and federal regulations are followed. The disease can only be transmitted by sexual contact and is most frequently spread when a stallion breeds a mare. It may also be transmitted through artificial insemination or contact with contaminated hands or any objects that have been in contact with the genitalia of infected stallions or mares. Stallions are symptom-free carriers of the bacterium Taylorella equigenitalis. Infected mares can develop inflammation of the reproductive tract, which can result in temporary infertility.

Researchers said there are no reports of transmission of infection to pregnant mares except at the time of breeding. Only two confirmed cases of abortion due to this bacterium have been reported in the past 30 years. CEM can be treated effectively with a wide range of disinfectants and antibiotics. Strict hygiene should be observed after contact with horses that test positive for Taylorella equigenitalis. CEM is not known to be transmissible to humans.

Mares imported into Kentucky from CEM affected countries, or mares found to be infected, are required by federal and state regulations to undergo testing and treatment and remain in quarantine until confirmed negative for Taylorella equigenitalis. All stallions imported into Kentucky from a CEM affected country, or stallions found to be infected, are required to be quarantined and to undergo similar testing and treatment until they are determined negative for the causal agent of CEM.

In contrast to other infectious diseases, such as equine herpesvirus neurologic disease, equine influenza or equine viral arteritis, CEM is not spread by close physical contact or via airborne transmission, said Gluck researchers. The horses that have been confirmed carriers were moved to Kentucky from various states prior to the start of the 2008 breeding season. While located in Kentucky, there has been no history of any of these stallions having live covers.

State and federal control measures have been implemented on the affected farm, and there is currently no risk of spread to other horses in Kentucky. An investigation remains ongoing, and while additional horses from the farm may test positive, there is no evidence suggesting that the organism has spread beyond the group of mares and stallions first identified as at risk of exposure.

Horse Health Emergency in Kentucky: "Bring in the Feds!" State Officials Say, As Labs ID Two More CEM-Infected Stallions

Here's an update from Kentucky, where two more stallions have been found to be infected with Contagious Equine Metritis (CEM), an equine venereal disease that does not affect stallions, who are carriers, but can cause abortion and long-term fertility problems in mares.

Via press release on December 18:

Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer has asked U.S. Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer to move quickly to declare a state of agricultural emergency and commit federal funds in connection with an outbreak of contagious equine metritis in central Kentucky.

The request is a proactive measure to ensure that sufficient resources are available to manage the disease outbreak, Commissioner Farmer said.

“It is important for the people of Kentucky to understand that this could be a serious situation in our signature equine industry,” Commissioner Farmer said. “The state is working with federal authorities to contain the outbreak and determine its source.”

Kentucky’s horse industry has a total estimated economic impact of approximately $5 billion a year. The horse industry generates an estimated 80,000-100,000 jobs, and another 14,000 jobs come from tourism businesses related to the horse industry. Kentucky farm cash receipts for equine, including stud fees, are estimated at $1 billion annually.

Two more stallions have tested positive for contagious equine metritis, making a total of three from a single central Kentucky farm. The stallions added to the list are a 13-year-old quarter horse and a 4-year-old registered with the American Paint Horse Association. A 16-year-old quarter horse tested positive on Dec. 10, and the National Veterinary Services Laboratories in Ames, Iowa, confirmed the result on Dec. 15. The affected stallions and all exposed horses on the farm have been quarantined.

Testing was performed by the University of Kentucky Livestock Disease Diagnostic Center in Lexington. “The expertise available at LDDC greatly enhances our ability to respond both quickly and effectively to disease outbreaks,” State Veterinarian Robert C. Stout said.

Commissioner Farmer is closely monitoring the investigation and has informed Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear of the progress of the investigation. The Governor has assured Commissioner Farmer that he understands the seriousness of the situation and has pledged to work with the Commissioner to address the matter.

“The state is acting aggressively to contain and mitigate this disease,” Commissioner Farmer said. “Our interstate and international trading partners can be confident that Kentucky will employ all necessary resources to deal with this situation.”

Contagious equine metritis is a transmissible, exotic venereal disease in horses. It usually results in infertility in mares and, on rare occasions, can cause mares to spontaneously abort. Infected stallions exhibit no clinical signs but can carry the CEM bacteria for years. CEM is commonly transmitted during sexual intercourse but also may be transmitted indirectly through artificial insemination or contact with contaminated hands or objects. CEM can be treated with disinfectants and antibiotics.

There is no evidence that CEM affects people

Good-bye, New York! Beloved Kentucky Derby Winner Funny Cide Will Retire to Kentucky Horse Park

by Fran Jurga | 26 November 2008 | The Jurga Report at Equisearch.com

Funny Cide at Belmont Park, originally uploaded by wRock and Racehorses.

Horse lovers in New York will be in mourning this Thanksgiving. The Kentucky Horse Park announced today that beloved Funny Cide, winner of the Kentucky Derby (G1) and Preakness (G1) will become the newest resident of the Kentucky Horse Park when he packs his bags and moves south on December 5.

Since his retirement as a race horse in 2007, the eight-year-old gelding has been used as Barclay Tagg’s stable pony on the track in New York and Florida. According to Barclay, “The rigors of racing and training for several years have started to cause him mild discomfort recently as he continued working on a regular basis as my stable pony.”

Funny Cide was an overachieving New York-bred racehorse who captured the imagination of New York racegoers and the nation. No one ever told him that New York breds were not supposed to win the Kentucky Derby, but win he did...and the Preakness...and other graded stakes. His popularity with New York horse lovers and betters grew as he aged, and some people turned out at Saratoga just to see if they could catch a glimpse of him in his retirement, being ridden by trainer Barclay Tagg in the early morning light.

Funny Cide Facts: Funny Cide (Distorted Humor – Belle’s Good Cide, by Slewacide) was bred by William Casner and Kenny Troutt’s WinStar Farm in a collaborative venture with McMahon Thoroughbreds of Saratoga Springs, New York where he was foaled, raised and then sold as a yearling for $22,000 at the August 2001 Fasig-Tipton NY Bred Preferred Yearlings Sale. He was later purchased privately as a two-year old by Sackatoga Stable for $75,000. For them he went on to earn $3,529,412 and an Eclipse Award as Champion Three-Year-Old Colt, becoming the highest-earning New York-bred in history for trainer Barclay Tagg, under Jose Santos. His nine stakes wins also included the prestigious Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1).

Funny Cide has his own website, FunnyCide.com, and a fan club.

The public is invited to the Kentucky Horse Park for Funny Cide’s Welcome Reception on Friday, December 5 at 2 p.m. Funny Cide will join another Kentucky Derby winner, Alysheba, who came to the park in October.

I hope they don't make fun of his New Yawk accent! And I hope he never loses it!

Thanks to Sarah Andrews (Rock and Racehorses) for her great photo of Funny Cide at Belmont Park with assistant trainer Robin Smullen up.