Funny Cide, popular 2003 Kentucky Derby winner who nearly captured Triple Crown, has died

Twenty years after he captivated the horse racing world with a run that fell just short of a Triple Crown, Funny Cide has died.

The Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, where he'd spent his final years in retirement, and several other racing authorities confirmed the death Sunday of the winner of the 2003 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes. He died due to complications from colic.

Owned by New York-based Sackatoga Stable and trained by Barclay Tagg, Funny Cide was not a favorite at Churchill Downs on the day of the 2003 Kentucky Derby — he came into the race with 12-1 odds. But the crowd of 148,530 on a sunny afternoon in Louisville cheered when he held off favorite Empire Maker in the stretch to win the race by 1¾ lengths, becoming the first horse bred in New York to capture the Run for the Roses.

His success was no joke. Funny Cide and jockey José Santos were dominant two weeks later in the Preakness, winning by 9¾ lengths. But Empire Maker had the last laugh in the Belmont Stakes, winning the final leg of the Triple Crown as Funny Cide finished third.

Funny Cide, who was also the first gelding to win the Derby since 1929, would race for several more years before retiring in 2007 with 11 wins in 38 races and career earnings of over $3.5 million.

He was a popular attraction in retirement at the Kentucky Horse Park, regularly drawing crowds at the Central Kentucky farm. The Washington Post described his personality as "more cat than dog" in a profile earlier this year, with Hall of Champions Manager Rob Willis calling him as a "sweet baby" with onlookers whose competitive side came out in the stall.

In a social media post Sunday, Sackatoga Stable said Funny Cide changed owners' lives — to save money, they famously took a school bus from the Galt House Hotel to Churchill Downs on the day of the Derby — and left an impact on horse racing in Kentucky as well as in the Empire State.

"From putting NY-Breds on the map to yellow school buses, the Funny Cide story is one we will long remember," their statement said. "We are beyond grateful to Kentucky Horse Park for giving our guy 15 wonderful years of retirement. To say we will miss him, is an understatement. Rest well, old boy."

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Reach Lucas Aulbach at laulbach@courier-journal.com.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Funny Cide, Kentucky Derby 129 winning horse, dies due to colic