LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Funny Cide, nicknamed the "Gutsy Gelding," is now memorialized at the Kentucky Horse Park with a new statue by artist Shelley Hunter.
The thoroughbred captured hearts as the first New York-bred gelding to win the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes in 2003. Owned by a group of friends from New York called Sackatoga Stable, he became an everyday fan favorite, and the favorite of his jockey, Jose Santos.
"From day one I knew I was gonna win the Kentucky Derby with him. A lot of people say how do you know, but from the first day I felt it and said that was gonna be my derby winning horse," Santos said.
The retired jockey said the horse's legacy will endure well beyond his time on the track.
"Funny Cide is gonna be in my heart forever. And now he's going to be for the people forever at the park," Santos said.
Funny Cide lived at the park from 2008 until his death in 2023 at 23 years old.
