Tag: Robin Smullen

Kentucky Derby Winner Funny Cide Dies

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Funny Cide (Distorted Humor), the popular New York-bred gelding, who flirted with the 2003 Triple Crown and was the 3-year-old champion and Horse of the Year, died Sunday from complications of colic.

Owned by Sackatoga Stable, formed by Jack Knowlton and based in upstate New York, Funny Cide won the GI Kentucky Derby and the GI Preakness S. His bid to become the first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed in 1978 ended in the GI Belmont S., when he finished third behind Empire Maker (Unbridled) over the sloppy course.

Funny Cide's unlikely rise to the top of the 3-year-old male division and his enthusiastic group of owners–who rode from their hotel to Churchill Downs for the Derby in a yellow school bus they rented–became a national story that transcended racing. He was the first New York-bred and the first gelding since Clyde Van Dusen in 1929 to win the Derby.

After being notified of Funny Cide's passing by officials at the Kentucky Horse Park–where he was a featured resident for 15 years–Knowlton drove over to Barclay Tagg's barn at Saratoga Race Course for what was a teary conversation to tell the news to the veteran trainer and his assistant Robin Smullen, who was his exercise rider.

 

“It's sad,” Knowlton said. “Obviously, life-changing for me, personally.”

Tagg has saddled 1,613 winners and developed five millionaires during his 40 years as a trainer. Funny Cide was his first Classic race winner and is his leading earner.

“He's one of the best and he just did a lot for us in every way,” Tagg said. “Some horses are great race horses. Some of them are good friends. He just had a lot of charisma with him.”

Smullen noted that Funny Cide knew he was good.

“And he'd remind you of it, too,” Tagg said.

Knowlton said he was told that Funny Cide appeared to be fine Saturday, but began showing signs of distress in the evening. He underwent surgery, but could not be saved.

Tagg purchased Funny Cide privately for Sackatoga for $75,000 as a 2-year-old. A member of Distorted Humor's first crop, he showed promise later that year, winning all three starts against New York-bred company and was the state's juvenile male champ. He emerged as a Triple Crown series-caliber runner early in his 3-year-old season, though he was winless in three starts before the Derby. He had a troubled trip starting from post 13 in the GIII Holy Bull S. and finished fifth on Jan. 18 at Gulfstream Park. On Mar. 9 at Fair Grounds, he ended up third, but was moved up to second on the DQ of Kafwain, in the GII Louisiana Derby. One month later, he turned in a strong performance in the GI Wood Memorial at Aqueduct, ending up a half-length behind Empire Maker.

At Churchill Downs, the Bobby Frankel-trained Empire Maker was the Derby favorite and Funny Cide was nearly 12.80-1. Frankel was dealing with a hoof issue with Empire Maker, but decided to start the colt. Under future Hall of Fame jockey Jose Santos, Funny Cide prevailed over Empire Maker by 1 1/4 lengths. Two weeks later in the Preakness, Funny Cide was much the best in the 10-horse field and won by 9 3/4 lengths.

Sackatoga's memorable Triple Crown run ended at Belmont Park against five other runners. Funny Cide went to the lead early, but could not maintain his advantage against consistent pressure and ended up five lengths behind Empire Maker, who had skipped the Preakness.

“I tell everybody, I will go to my grave wondering what if it didn't rain five inches on Belmont Day what would have happened?” Knowlton said. “That's not to say that Empire Maker was probably more likely to win the Belmont, but Funny hated that racetrack. So, who knows? We'll never know.”

Funny Cide competed in six seasons and was retired in 2007 with a record of 11-6-8 from 38 starts and purse earnings of $3,529,412. At the time of his retirement, he was the top New York-bred in purse earnings. Besides the Derby and the Preakness, he also won the GI Jockey Club Gold Cup as a 4-year-old.

Though Funny Cide had strong ties to Saratoga, he was foaled a McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds, and Knowlton ran the stable in Saratoga Springs, he only made two starts at Saratoga Race Course: second to Evening Attire in the 2004 GII Saratoga Breeders' Cup H. and an eighth in the 2006 GI Woodward S. He was being aimed for the 2003 GI Travers S. at Saratoga, but was sick after running third in the GI Haskell Invitational on a very hot day and missed Saratoga's marquee race. Seventeen years later, Sackatoga and Tagg won the 2020 Travers with Tiz the Law (Constitution).

A street sign bearing the names of Funny Cide and 2003 GI Kentucky Oaks winner Bird Town owned by Marylou Whitney is at the intersection of Union Ave. and East Ave. in Saratoga Springs, near the main entrance to the famous track.

Funny Cide made three appearances at Saratoga Race Course after he was retired, most recently in 2015.

Knowlton said part of his annual trip to the Kentucky Derby was a visit to the Horse Park to see Funny Cide. He also saw the horse the three times Keeneland hosted the Breeders' Cup.

“The last couple of years he looked better than he had in a while,” Knowlton said. “He had lost some weight, but the right way. His coat was shining. Everything was good. They would bring him out in a grassy area. People could take pictures. Kids could feed him peppermints. It was all good.”

Knowlton said the Kentucky Horse Park was the ideal retirement venue for Funny Cide.

“It was fabulous. He had 15 years there,” Knowlton said. “People got access. He was the star of the show down there, without any question. The most popular horse. The biggest draw.”

Knowlton grew up in the tiny village of Sackets Harbor on the eastern end of Lake Ontario. He developed an interest in racing as an adult and during one reunion convinced five of his high school buddies to form a small stable. It was named Sackatoga by blending Sackets Harbor with Saratoga Springs, where Knowlton and his family lived. Funny Cide gave the everyman stable of the original Sackets Six and four other investors a memorable ride.

“There was the whole experience of the Sackets guys,” Knowlton said, “and winning the Kentucky Derby. Then all the hoopla.”

The post Kentucky Derby Winner Funny Cide Dies appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Former ‘Bad Boy’ Doswell Ready To Step Up In Pegasus Turf

Joseph Allen's Doswell first arrived at trainer Barclay Tagg's barn with no wins and a 'bad boy' reputation. While the two subsequent years haven't completely erased his idiosyncrasies, the 7-year-old gelding and contender in Saturday's $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf (G1) at Gulfstream has learned how to co-exist and be successful just being himself.

“He's gotten better, but that's because we understand each other,” Tagg's longtime assistant trainer and exercise rider Robin Smullen said. “I'm really the only one that gets on him except for breeze time. We kind of have a mutual respect for each other, and that's really what it's all about.”

Tagg is effusive in his praise for job Smullen has done with Doswell, whose career full of stops and starts began with renowned trainer John Gosden in England in the summer 2017. By the time he raced again in January 2019, he was in South Florida with trainer Chad Brown.

“Robin's a superior rider and we've had no problems with him since [some] gate stuff early on. Now everything's been fine. He's a lovely horse. He gets along with her well,” Tagg said. “He's a big, strong horse. He needs a strong bit for day-to-day galloping and things like that, but Robin could take him out there and gallop him on a loose rein if she wanted to. It all works out pretty well.”

Doswell ran second in each of his first four career races, never beaten by more than three-quarters of a length. He broke his maiden in his sixth start and first race for Tagg in August 2020 off an 11-month layoff and has never finished worse than third in seven tries.

His most recent race was his best, going gate to wire to capture the 1 1/8-mile Fort Lauderdale (G2) Dec. 18 at the same course and distance by 1 ½ lengths over Atone, who also returns in the Pegasus Turf.

Junior Alvarado, aboard in the Fort Lauderdale, will ride back from Post No. 7 in a field of 12. Doswell is listed at 10-1 on the morning line.

“Last time I said to Junior, 'Just take him away from the pony and let him warm him up. That's what he wants,' and he was fine,” Smullen said. “I think if you just understand him and try to get along with him and let him do his own thing, that's really all he wants.”

“He's smart. He's smart enough to know that he knows what he wants to do. He loves to run, he wants to run,” she added. “If you start getting in his face about you can't do this, you can't do that or you can't gallop that fast, he gets very, very upset.”

Doswell was a picture of composure schooling in the paddock and walking ring during Thursday's races, part of his regular pre-race routine. Smullen beamed as she watched him and took video to show Tagg.

“He's not always good, so every chance that you can to help him be a better horse, you do. If that means schooling, that's what it means. I'll tell you, he's [being] really good,” she said. “He was like this the last time he ran. He was pretty quiet. He loves to do it.”

Smullen was impressed how Doswell has bounced out his most recent effort, just his 12th career start and third in a graded stake, after finishing a troubled second in the Fort Lauderdale and third in the W.L. McKnight (G3) on the Pegasus undercard last winter.

“He's great. He came out of the Fort Lauderdale great, which is surprising because he had such a jump up in number that you would have thought that maybe he was a little tired or this or that, but not at all. He came out of it really well,” Smullen said. “He's carrying his weight well, too. That's a good thing.

“He likes the track, he's doing well and we just hope he gives a good performance and gets to show himself, and if he hits the board we'll be tickled to death,” she added. “It's nice to be part of such a big day, especially with a horse like Doswell, who is kind of an underdog.”

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Robust Trade To Wrap Up Successful Return of Fasig NY-Bred Sale

by Joe Bianca & Katie Ritz

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY–The Fasig-Tipton New York-Bred Yearlings Sale completed a successful return Monday at the Humphrey S. Finney Sales Pavilion in Saratoga, as a lively day of trading built on a strong Sunday opener to conclude the auction with average, gross and median numbers up and the RNA rate down compared to 2019 numbers.

“We got the sales superfecta: average was up, median was up, gross was up and the RNA rate's down. So we hit the super today and we're obviously very pleased,” said Fasig-Tipton President & CEO Boyd Browning. “We had significant bidding from a diverse buying group. We're fortunate enough that the consignors once again gave us outstanding horses and presented them in a very, very positive manner. The buyers continue to have more and more confidence coming to the sale.”

Fasig-Tipton was forced to cancel its 2020 renewal of the New York-bred sale as well as its Saratoga sale due to the COVID-19 pandemic, an interruption that Browning said affected New York-bred interests particularly harshly.

“I've said before, there was no segment of the marketplace more adversely affected by the COVID situation last year than the New York-bred yearling marketplace,” he said. “So it's nice to restore the marketplace for them; they can have confidence going forward. We've always been committed to this sale and marketplace, but any time you have a disruption, it's difficult. And there was a significant disruption for the breeders and folks who sell New York-breds last year. It's reassuring to be able to look at them and say, 'You can continue what you're doing with confidence.' I think the sale's going to continue to grow and grow, and people are going to be encouraged to both buy and breed New York-breds.”

A total of 141 horses changed hands Monday, grossing $12,069,000, compared to 120 horses selling in 2019 for a sum of $10,227,550. The average for the session was $85,596, roughly on par with the $85,229 from two years ago, while the median edged up from $55,000 in 2019's second session to $60,000. Only 35 horses went unsold Monday, a rate of 19.9%, compared to 49 in 2019, which accounted for 29% of horses offered.

Overall for the two-day sale, 203 horses sold for a gross of $18,566,500. In 2019, 186 sold for $16,200,000. The average for this year's sale was $91,461, an increase of 5% from 2019, while the median was $70,000 compared to $60,000 in 2019. In total, 55 horses were bought back from 258 offered, a 21.3% rate this year, compared to 80 out of 266 in2 019, a 30.1% rate.

The Fasig-Tipton sales calendar resumes with the one-day Pin Oak Stud Sale, in which Josephine Abercrombie's Pin Oak Stud, one of the country's most successful Thoroughbred breeding and racing operations over the past six decades, will be offering its remaining broodmares, weanlings, and some racing fillies, Sept. 12 in Lexington.

Brand-New Partnership Strikes for Munnings Filly

Forming a partnership of GMP Stables, Vekoma Racing and West Paces Racing the morning of Monday's second Fasig-Tipton New York-Bred Yearlings session, Oracle Bloodstock's Conor Foley came out on top for the group when the hammer dropped for a session-topping $350,000 for Hip 419, a filly by Munnings out of MSW Freudie Anne (Freud).

“She was one of the top fillies of the sale,” Foley said. “We were tickled to get her. A few partners got put together a few hours ago to get her and we're really excited. I thought she was one of the best athletes of the sale.”

Bought for $130,000 by Cherry Knoll Farm at Fasig-Tipton February earlier this year, the chestnut sold under the Hunter Valley Farm banner. She is the second foal out of Freudie Anne, a two-time stakes winner in her racing career and half-sister to MSW Frostie Anne (Frost Giant), following a thus-far unraced juvenile full-brother who sold to Pick View for $100,000 at last year's umbrella Fasig-Tipton Selected Yearlings auction.

Foley and the partners already were looking forward to bringing hip 419 back upstate next year, saying, “She's going to go to the races. She'll come back up here and be trained by Danny Gargan. Hopefully in about a year we'll be walking out of the winner's circle at Saratoga.”

D J Stable Pounces for Constitution Colt

Len and Jon Green's D J Stable was in the market for a potential Classic colt at Monday's Fasig-Tipton New York-Bred Yearlings Sale and came home with a popular prospect Monday in Hip 528, with Jon Green signing the winning ticket for $300,000 for a son of star third-crop sire Constitution.

“He reminded us of a lot the great colts that we've seen running on Saturdays,” Green said. “He's a big, scopey, two-turn type of horse. We came here looking to get a real top colt and he fit the bill and checked all the boxes for us. The plan is to ultimately have him at Mark Casse's barn. He'll head back to Kentucky and get a little R and R because [the sale] takes so much out of these horses. Let him eat a little green grass, give him six to eight weeks and then he'll head down for to Ocala and start getting into the program.”

Consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency, the dark bay is the third foal out of five-time winner Rare Medal (Medaglia d'Oro), whose 2-year-old Unified colt named Combat Medal sold for $150,000 earlier this year at Fasig-Tipton Midlantic. His fourth dam is two-time champion Northernette (Northern Dancer), a full-sister to champion Storm Bird.

On the final number for the colt, Green said, “It surprised me a little that we had to go to the upper level of what we wanted to for a horse like this, but the sale has been so strong that if you want to come away with a good horse, you have to spend a little bit of money. The nice thing about it is that even though he's a New York-bred, that wasn't even part of the calculus. He's such a grand-looking colt that hopefully if he's running here in New York, it'll be in races like the Travers and the Belmont and not in a New York-bred other than. We felt that [regardless of] if he was a New York-bred, Kentucky-bred, Florida-bred, Peruvian-bred, he's just that kind of a horse. We came here specifically to buy a horse like this. We do have a couple more on the list, but he was our number one choice.”

Accelerate Speeds Ahead With $300K Colt

Lane's End's champion Accelerate, who made a splash Sunday night at the Fasig-Tipton New York-Bred sale, kept the forward momentum going when his Hip 591, a colt consigned by Paramount Sales, sold for $300,000 in the waning moments of the auction Monday afternoon. Barclay Tagg signed the winning ticket along with longtime assistant Robin Smullen and owners Chris and Dave Stack.

“We liked everything about him,” Smullen said of the colt, who was led out unsold on a bid of $100,000 at Keeneland November last fall. “He was intelligent. We weren't happy with how he was acting in the back ring, but when he got in the ring he was fine. He's a nice colt. [The price] was a little higher than we wanted to go, but we bid on a filly earlier that we couldn't get.”

Bred by SF Bloodstock, hip 591 is out of the thrice stakes-placed Marquetry mare Ten Halos, who also produced GSW juvenile Cinco Charlie (Indian Charlie). Bought for $150,000 in foal to Candy Ride (Arg) at Keeneland November in 2016, Ten Halos is a half-sister to MGSW Bwana Charlie (Indian Charlie) and GSWs My Pal Charlie (Indian Charlie) and Bwana Bull (Holy Bull).

“We are very good friends with Barclay and Robin and admire and respect them and their opinions,” said Chris Stack. “When we saw him, we just thought he was the one. He looked me right in the eye though, I will tell you.”

Tagg and Smullen stayed in for a small piece of the horse, their first owning partnership with the Stacks.

“We trained for Chris and Dave a long time ago, but now we have one together,” Smullen said. “We just own one ear, Chris and Dave own the rest of her.”

Tagg and Smullen also bought another Accelerate progeny earlier in the day for Sackatoga Stable, going to $130,000 to secure Hip 460, a chestnut colt out of MSP Late 'n Left (Lucky Pulpit).

Asked to compare Hip 591 to that colt, Smullen offered, “The other Accelerate that we bought tonight for Sackatoga Stable looked a little more refined, a little smaller. But I don't know what to expect them to look like yet. We liked his dam side. When you're a half to a multiple stakes winner, you've got to be alright.”

Brown, Klaravich Pick Up Practical Joke Filly

The connections of hot-starting freshman sire Practical Joke showed their faith in his success continuing at Monday's Fasig-Tipton New York-Bred Yearlings Sale, as Chad Brown signed the ticket for Klaravich Stables for a bay filly by the Coolmore resident for $250,000. Consigned by Indian Creek, Hip 508 is the second foal out of Orient Moon (Malibu Moon) to sell for that figure this year after her 2-year-old Street Boss colt commanded the same number at OBS April.

“I trained the sire for Seth [Klarman] and she was definitely the best-looking dirt filly I saw here,” Brown said. “It was definitely our last bid. She will go down to Ocala and we'll see how she takes to training. She just happened to be a New York-bred, but she was as good-looking as any Practical Joke filly I've seen.”

Victor of the GI Hopeful S. GI Champagne S. as a juvenile in 2016, Practical Joke followed up with a score in the GI H. Allen Jerkens S. at Saratoga the next summer and won or placed in six other graded stakes before retiring with nearly $1.8 million in earnings. He ranks third among North American-based freshman sires with 10 winners and was represented by blowout GIII Sanford S. hero and 'TDN Rising Star' Wit earlier in the Saratoga meet.

“You can see the Into Mischief in [Practical Joke's progeny], so it's exciting.” Brown said. “We are very big supporters of the stallion. We have some 2-year-olds that we like and it's exciting that he's off to such a promising start.”

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Tiz The Law: Best-Laid Plans For A 4-Year-Old Campaign Go Awry

To borrow a term used by the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, I was skeptically hopeful when Coolmore announced it had bought the breeding rights to Tiz the Law following the Constitution colt's 3 ¾-length victory in the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes, shortened to 1 1/8 miles and run as the opening leg of the Triple Crown on June 20.

Hopeful because of the comment made at the time by Jack Knowlton, managing partner of Tiz the Law's owner, Sackatoga Stable, that the partnership was “excited to see what Tiz the Law has in store on the track for the remainder of his 3-year-old year and beyond…”

Skeptical because I know what kind of pressure stallion operations like Coolmore can place on owners and trainers when they get their tentacles into a top prospect. And let's face it: Coolmore's emphasis is on acquiring stallion prospects with early racing success. Only two horses on the sizable stallion roster at Coolmore's Ashford Stud in Versailles, Ky., raced as 4-year-olds after winning Grade 1 races at 2 or 3: Mo Town and Maximum Security.

So when I saw the news release from Coolmore stating that Tiz the Law had been retired from racing “on veterinary advice” and with no further explanation, my hopefulness turned to flat-out skepticism. I'd seen this movie before.

After seeing the Tweet, Knowlton called to assure me this was not some manufactured excuse to shuffle Tiz the Law into his next career before the 2021 breeding season begins.

“We're crushed,” Knowlton said, saying he called Sackatoga's 30-some partners with the bad news. “Believe me, nobody wanted him running next year more than me. We were so looking forward to the Pegasus (Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla., on Jan. 23).”

He added that the race he really wanted to win this coming year was Saratoga's G1 Whitney at his hometown track in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. Knowlton called Tiz the Law's G1 Travers win at Saratoga his personal highlight of the stable star's 3-year-old season.

Knowlton said Robin Smullen, assistant to trainer Barclay Tagg, “sensed something wasn't right” after she took Tiz the Law out for a routine gallop Tuesday morning at Palm Meadows training center. He was scheduled to breeze on Jan. 3 in what would have been his sixth workout since a disappointing sixth-place finish as the favorite in the G1 Breeders' Cup Classic at Keeneland on Nov. 7.

“I got the call from Barclay that I always dread,” Knowlton said. “Our vet took X-rays and found there was significant bone bruising in the lower part of the cannon bone in a front leg. We had another vet take a look at it and both said the same thing: 'You really don't have any choice.'

“I'm really thankful that Robin caught it when she did.”

We're rarely privy to stallion contracts between a stud farm and a horse's owner, a major exception being Coolmore's deal to buy the breeding interests of American Pharoah from Ahmed Zayat. That contract became an exhibit in a lawsuit filed against Zayat by a lender.

The stallion deal, signed in January of the eventual Triple Crown and Breeders' Cup Classic winner's 3-year-old season, spelled out the retirement plans for the horse, specifically saying it could be no later than Nov. 30, 2015. Prior to then, the contract stated, “In the event that the horse is under performing or is injured, a panel of Ahmed Zayat, Paul Shanahan (a Coolmore associate) and (trainer) Bob Baffert will meet to discuss and decide whether to modify or terminate the horse's racing career. Each person shall be entitled to one vote. Any decision to modify or terminate the horse's racing career will be made upon the affirmative vote of at least two persons.”

Knowlton said he negotiated the contract to ensure Tiz the Law had the opportunity race at 4. He said there were contingencies for himself, Tagg and an Ashford representative to discuss what to do if the horse went off form.

But the best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry. That's especially true when you're dealing with a finely tuned athlete like a Thoroughbred racehorse.

Tiz the Law goes off to stud with six wins from nine starts over two racing seasons, including four Grade 1 victories. He was defeated in his final two starts, beaten on the square by Authentic to be second in the G1 Kentucky Derby and then failing to hit the board for the only time in the Breeders' Cup.

He was in good hands throughout his career, trained by someone whose “numbers” may not fit the criteria for some Hall of Fame voters but whose wisdom and old school horsemanship have earned the respect of his peers.

Tiz the Law's owners are in the game for the fun of racing, not the business of breeding like the corporate stables that now dominate – a band of Davids competing against an army of Goliaths. Like kids on a Ferris wheel, they wanted to go around one more time.

I remain skeptically hopeful that someday soon we'll see another horse who was a Grade 1 winner at 2 and a Classic winner at 3 that will be pointed for and complete a full campaign at 4.

But I'm not holding my breath.

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