2003 Kentucky Derby

Last updated
129th Kentucky Derby
Kentucky Derby
Location Churchill Downs
DateMay 3, 2003
Winning horse Funny Cide
Winning time2:01.19
Starting price 13-1
Jockey José A. Santos
Trainer Barclay Tagg
Owner Sackatoga Stable
Conditions Fast [1]
SurfaceDirt
Attendance148,530
←  2002
2004  →

The 2003 Kentucky Derby was the 129th running of the Kentucky Derby. The race took place on May 3, 2003 and was won by longshot Funny Cide. There were 148,530 in attendance. [2]

Contents

Contenders

Sportswriter Steve Haskin called the 2003 Derby contenders a "perplexing group". [3] The horses with the best form at age two (Vindication, Toccet, and Sky Mesa) all got injured while preparing for the Derby and ultimately missed the race. Instead, later developing colts dominated the final major preps in March and April. [4] The clear favorite was Empire Maker, who had won both the Florida Derby and Wood Memorial. [5] Empire Maker was at 6–5 on the morning line but drifted out to 5-2 by post-time based on concerns about a bruise to his right front hoof in the final days of training. [6] [7] Peace Rules was the second choice at odds of 6-1 after winning the Louisiana Derby and Blue Grass Stakes. [8] Both horses were trained by Bobby Frankel, a Hall of Fame inductee who had never won a Triple Crown event. [9] Other leading contenders included Buddy Gil (Santa Anita Derby), [10] Ten Most Wanted (Illinois Derby), [11] and Scrimshaw (Lexington Stakes). [12]

Funny Cide was a moderate longshot at odds of 13–1. Bred in New York, Funny Cide won all three starts at age two in restricted stakes company and was named the New York bred champion two-year-old colt or gelding. [13] When moved to open stakes company at age three, he ran fifth in the Holy Bull Stakes to Offlee Wild, second to Peace Rules in the Louisiana Derby and second to Empire Maker in the Wood Memorial. [14] [7]

Sir Cherokee was originally entered but was scratched by the track veterinarian. [1]

Full results

Brancusi, Peace Rules and Eye of the Tiger went to the early lead and set moderately-fast fractions of 22.78 seconds for the first quarter mile and 46.23 for the first half. Funny Cide was bumped at the start but moved into tracking position going around the first turn while Empire Maker rated in eighth place. Peace Rules went to the lead on the far turn while Funny Cide moved into second and Empire Maker into third. Turning into the stretch, jockey José A. Santos went to the whip and Funny Cide opened a clear lead, then held on to win by 1+3⁄4 lengths. Empire Maker finished a head in front of stablemate Peace Rules for second. The time of 2:01.19 was the 10th fastest running in Derby history. [1] [6]

The race set a number of firsts. Funny Cide was the first gelding to win the race since Clyde Van Dusen in 1929. It was the first time a New York-bred had won the Kentucky Derby. It was the first win for Santos in seven attempts, and the first for trainer Barclay Tagg. It was also the first major win for Funny Cide's owners, six friends from upper New York state who named their outfit Sackatoga Stable after their hometown Sackett's Harbor and favorite racetrack, Saratoga. "We are a three-horse stable", said one of the partners, Jackson Knowlton. "We are the little guys in the game. Everyone who dreams in this game, who owns two or five horses, look at what you can accomplish. Little did we know." [6]

FinishProgram
number		HorseJockeyTrainerOddsMarginEarnings
16 Funny Cide José A. Santos Barclay Tagg 12.80$800,200
212 Empire Maker Jerry Bailey Robert J. Frankel 2.501+3⁄4 lengths$170,000
35 Peace Rules Edgar Prado Robert J. Frankel 6.301+3⁄4 lengths$85,000
44Atswhatimtalknbout David R. Flores Ronald W. Ellis 8.902 lengths$45,000
513Eye of the Tiger Eibar Coa Jerry Hollendorfer 41.504+3⁄4 lengths
68Buddy Gil Gary Stevens Jeff Mullins 7.205+3⁄4 lengths
715Outta Here Kent Desormeaux William Currin39.706+1⁄2 lengths
814Ten Cents a Shine Calvin Borel D. Wayne Lukas 37.207+1⁄2 lengths
916Ten Most Wanted Pat Day Wallace Dollase 6.607+3⁄4 lengths
1011Domestic Dispute Alex Solis Patrick Gallagher44.009+1⁄2 lengths
1117Scrimshaw Cornelio Velásquez D. Wayne Lukas 16.5010+1⁄2 lengths
127Offlee Wild Robby Albarado Thomas Smith29.9011+1⁄2 lengths
131Supah Blitz Rosemary Homeister Jr. Emanuel Tortora43.1017 lengths
149Indian Express Tyler Baze Bob Baffert 10.8018+3⁄4 lengths
1510Lone Star Sky Shane Sellers Thomas M. Amoss 52.1020 lengths
162BrancusiTony Farina Patrick Biancone 29.3021 lengths

Track condition: Fast

Times:1⁄4 mile – 22.78; 1⁄2 mile – 46.23; 3⁄4 mile – 1:10.48; mile – 1:35.75; final – 2:01.19.
Splits for each quarter-mile: (22.78) (23.45) (24.25) (25.27) (25.44)

Source: Equibase Chart [1]

Payout

The 129th Kentucky Derby Payout Schedule
Program
Number		Horse Name
Win
Place
Show
6 Funny Cide US$27.60$12.40$8.20
12 Empire Maker -$5.80$4.40
5 Peace Rules --$6.00

Controversy

On the Thursday after the race, the Miami Herald published a photo that supposedly showed Santos holding a "buzzer" (a device that administers an electric shock to horses, intended to make them run faster). The story became national news and prompted a meeting of the Churchill Downs' stewards. In the photo, there was a dark area between Santos' hand and the whip. [16] The Associated Press subsequently published another photo that clearly showed Santos held no such device: the dark area in the original photo may have been the green silks of the runner-up Empire Maker. [17] Santos was officially cleared a few days later. "I'm thankful this nightmare is over", he said. "A week ago was the happiest moment of my life, and then this photograph came along and nearly ruined my life." [18]

Subsequent racing careers

Several horses went on to record Grade I wins after the Derby:

Subsequent breeding careers

Leading progeny of participants in the 2003 Kentucky Derby

Empire Maker

Offlee Wild

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Funny Cide</span> American-bred Thoroughbred racehorse

Funny Cide is a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 2003 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes. He is the first New York-bred horse to win the Kentucky Derby. He was an immensely popular horse and remains a fan favorite in retirement at the Kentucky Horse Park.

Flower Alley is an American Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. Winner of the Travers Stakes during his racing career, he is best known as the sire of 2012 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner I'll Have Another.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tiznow</span> American Thoroughbred racehorse

Tiznow is an American Thoroughbred racehorse best known for his wins in the Breeders' Cup Classic in 2000 and 2001, becoming the only horse to win this race twice. He was the 2000 American Horse of the Year and was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Point Given</span> American-bred Thoroughbred racehorse

Point Given is a Thoroughbred racehorse who was the 2001 American Horse of the Year. That year, he won the Preakness Stakes, Belmont Stakes, Haskell Invitational, and Travers Stakes, becoming the first horse to ever win four $1 million races in a row. The only time he finished out of the money was in the 2001 Kentucky Derby, where he ran 5th. Point Given was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 2010.

Saint Liam was an American thoroughbred racehorse who was voted 2005 Eclipse Award Horse of the Year honors after winning the Donn Handicap, Stephen Foster, Woodward Stakes and Breeders' Cup Classic. He died in 2006 due to a freak accident, leaving behind a single crop of foals that included Horse of the Year Havre de Grace.

Forty Niner was an American champion thoroughbred racehorse and influential stallion.

Empire Maker was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 2003 Belmont Stakes and is the grandsire of the 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah.

Offlee Wild was an American Thoroughbred racehorse won multiple graded stakes races. As a sire, his most successful offspring was Breeders' Cup Classic winner Bayern.

Peace Rules, is a multiple Grade I-winning American Thoroughbred race horse. By Jules, a "black type" winner and classic sire in Brazil, Peace Rules' grandsire was Forty Niner, a son of the great sire- producing stallion, Mr. Prospector, a Leading sire in North America. His dam, Hold To Fashion, has dropped five foals, all winners.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sackatoga Stable</span> Thoroughbred racehorse racing and breeding operation

Sackatoga Stable is an American Thoroughbred horse racing syndicate in Saratoga Springs, New York. They are best known as the owners of 2003 Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Funny Cide and 2020 Belmont Stakes and Travers Stakes winner Tiz the Law.

The 2004 Kentucky Derby was the 130th running of the Kentucky Derby. The race took place on May 1, 2004 and was won by Smarty Jones, who earned a $5 million bonus. There were 140,054 in attendance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drosselmeyer</span> American-bred Thoroughbred racehorse

Drosselmeyer is an American Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the 2010 Belmont Stakes and the 2011 Breeders' Cup Classic.

The 2003 Belmont Stakes was the 135th running of the Belmont Stakes. The 1+1⁄2-mile (2,400 m) race, known as the "test of the champion" and sometimes called the "final jewel" in thoroughbred horse racing's Triple Crown series, was held on June 7, 2003, three weeks after the Preakness Stakes and five weeks after the Kentucky Derby.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017 Kentucky Derby</span> 143rd running of Kentucky Derby

The 2017 Kentucky Derby was the 143rd running of the Kentucky Derby, and took place on Saturday, May 6, 2017. The Kentucky Derby is a horse race held each year in Louisville, Kentucky, on the first Saturday in May, at the end of the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. It is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbreds at a distance of 1+1⁄4 miles (2.0 km), and has been run at Churchill Downs racetrack since its inception in 1875. The race was broadcast by NBC with a scheduled post time of 6:34 PM ET. The race went off at 6:52 PM ET before a crowd of 158,070 and a television TAD of 16.5 million viewers. The winner was the post-time favorite, Always Dreaming.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gunnevera</span> American-bred Thoroughbred racehorse

Gunnevera is an American Thoroughbred racehorse. Orphaned from an early age, he became the leading juvenile earner from the first crop of Dialed In. He was a contender on the 2017 Road to the Kentucky Derby, winning the Delta Downs Jackpot Stakes as a two-year-old and the Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream Park during his three-year-old season. Given a layoff after finishing seventh in the Derby and fifth in the Preakness Stakes, he returned in August to win the Tangelo Stakes before finishing second in the Travers Stakes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grand Slam of Thoroughbred racing</span> The four major races thoroughbred races

The Grand Slam of Thoroughbred racing is an informal name for winning four major Thoroughbred horse races in one season in the United States. The term has been applied to two configurations of races, both of which include the races of the Triple Crown—the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes—and either the Travers Stakes or the Breeders' Cup Classic as the final race.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">War of Will (horse)</span> American racehorse

War of Will is a classic winning American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 2019 Preakness Stakes and is one of only three modern-day racehorses to win a Grade One on dirt and turf. He also won the 2019 Lecomte Stakes, 2019 Risen Star Stakes, and 2020 Maker's Mark Mile Stakes.

Tiz the Law is an American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 2020 Belmont Stakes and Travers Stakes. He was the first New York-bred horse to win the Belmont since Forester in 1882. He also won the 2019 Champagne Stakes and 2020 Florida Derby, and came second in the 2020 Kentucky Derby.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Into Mischief</span> American Thoroughbred racehorse and sire

Into Mischief is a retired American Thoroughbred racehorse and active sire. During his racing career, he won three of six starts including the CashCall Futurity. Since his retirement, he has developed into an outstanding sire, leading the North American sire list in 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022. His offspring include Authentic, Mandaloun, Life Is Good and Covfefe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 Belmont Stakes</span> 152nd running of the Belmont Stakes

The 2020 Belmont Stakes was the 152nd running of the Belmont Stakes and the 109th time the event took place at Belmont Park. It was run June 20, 2020, and was won by Tiz the Law, the first New York-bred winner of the event since Forester in 1882. The race is one of the three legs of the American Triple Crown, open to three-year-old Thoroughbreds.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Chart of the Kentucky Derby". Equibase. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  2. ↑ Kentucky Derby History, 2003
  3. ↑ "Steve Haskin's Road to the Kentucky Derby: On To The Downs". BloodHorse.com. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  4. ↑ "Steve Haskin's Derby Story: Cide Show". BloodHorse.com. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  5. ↑ "Empire Maker profile". Equibase. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  6. 1 2 3 Drape, Joe (3 May 2003). "Funny Cide Wins Kentucky Derby". The New York Times. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  7. 1 2 "Move Over, Clyde!". BloodHorse.com. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  8. ↑ "Peace Rules profile". Equibase. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  9. ↑ "A Nack BackTrack: Kentucky Derby 2003 Eludes Frankel". BloodHorse.com. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  10. ↑ "Buddy Gil profile". Equibase. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  11. ↑ "Ten Most Wanted profile". Equibase. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  12. ↑ "Scrimshaw profile". Equibase. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  13. ↑ "Carson Hollow Named 2002 New York-Bred Horse of the Year". BloodHorse.com. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  14. ↑ "Funny Cide profile". Equibase. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  15. ↑ "Kentucky Derby 2003 Tables" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-23. Retrieved 2010-05-07.
  16. ↑ "Santos Meets With Stewards; Announcement Later Monday". BloodHorse.com. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  17. ↑ "AP Photo Clearly Shows There is No Object in Santos' Hand". BloodHorse.com. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  18. ↑ Scheinman, John (13 May 2003). "Funny Cide Jockey Cleared". Washington Post. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.