Barclay Tagg

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - During a ceremony Sunday morning prior to the annual upstate New York Showcase Day, some of the ashes of the late GI Kentucky Derby and GI Preakness winner Funny Cide (Distorted Humor) were interred at Saratoga Race Course. The popular New York-bred foaled at the nearby McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds, and owned by the New York-based Sackatoga Stable, died at the age of 23 on July 16 from complications of colic at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY. He won the 2003 Derby and Preakness...

The New York Racing Association will pay tribute to GI Kentucky Derby winner Funny Cide (Distorted Humor), one of the most successful and popular New York-breds of all time, on New York Showcase Day, Aug. 27, at Saratoga Race Course. Funny Cide, who died earlier this summer due to complications from colic, earned more than $3.5 million during his six-year  career, including when he became the first New York-bred to win the "Run for the Roses". He was later named the 2003 Eclipse Award winner for Champion 3-Year-Old Colt. "Few...

Champion and dual classic winner Funny Cide (Distorted Humor), who passed away July 16 at age 23, will have his life and racing achievements celebrated with a Saratoga Send-Off party Aug. 16 at Siro's in Saratoga Springs. The event will be a tribute to "The Gutsy Gelding" who captured the hearts of racing fans and continued to be a fan favorite during his 15-year retirement at Kentucky Horse Park. Presented by Sackatoga Stable, the evening will feature a tribute video and a panel discussion emceed by Retired Race Caller Tom...

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, 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...

1st-SAR, $105K, Msw, 2yo, 6f, 11:35 a.m. EDT The star-studded GI Runhappy Travers S. day card kicks off with a pair of juveniles events, starting with this main track sprint. VERIFYING (Justify), a $775,000 KEESEP acquisition by the Coolmore contingent, is one of the most intriguing firsters in this event. The Brad Cox pupil is out of GSW Diva Delite (Repent), who summoned $1.2 million with this colt in utero at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton November Sale. That makes Verifying a half-sibling to champion Midnight Bisou (Midnight Lute), who brought $5-million...

As is the case in the day's feature event on the main track, Gulfstream's GI Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational highlights a returning champion in the form of Robert and Lawana Low's Colonel Liam (Liam's Map). Following a neck win in the 2021 renewal of the nine-furlong test, the Todd Pletcher trainee added a win in the GII Muniz Memorial Classic at the Fair Grounds in March before finishing on even terms with Domestic Spending (GB) (Kingman {GB}) in the GI Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic at Churchill Downs in...

Joseph Allen homebred Doswell (Giant's Causeway) hadn't seen the inside of a winner's circle since October 2020, however, marked his return with aplomb, scoring by a front-running, 1 1/2-length margin over longshot Atone (Into Mischief) in Saturday's GII Ft. Lauderdale S. at Gulfstream. Sent to the front by Junior Alvarado straight away, the 9-2 shot showed the way as the stalking duo of GSW Analyze It (Point of Entry) and English Bee (English Channel) kept him in their sights. Still in front and moving well with a half mile left...

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,"...

Godolphin's Ghaiyyath (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) was officially named Longines World's Best Racehorse on Tuesday having been assessed to have posted the top two performances of 2020. His high mark of 130 was gained in the G1 Juddmonte International S. at York, which was also named Longines World's Best Horserace for the first time. The former Charlie Appleby trainee also recorded a mark of 127 in the G1 Hurworth Bloodstock Coronation Cup which, in a pandemic-disrupted season, was moved from Epsom to Newmarket. Bred by the Weld family's Springbank Way Stud...

There were just 56 days between Tiz the Law's (Constitution) dazzling sophomore debut in the GIII Holy Bull S. on the first day of February to his next start in the GI Florida Derby. How much could change in that time? As it turned out, just about everything. So maybe that's why, during a dark time, this bay colt with the bright, white-blazed face was so easy to cheer for. During uncertain circumstances, the Sackatoga silks with the familiar connections brought a piece of near normalcy to the starting gate....

Sackatoga Stable's Tiz the Law (Constitution--Tizfiz, by Tiznow), winner of the GI Belmont S. and GI Runhappy Travers S. this summer, has been retired from racing. It was announced shortly after the Belmont that the sophomore colt would stand at Coolmore America's Ashford Stud upon retirement. "The entire Tiz The Law team is deeply disappointed that Tiz The Law will be unable to race as a 4-year-old as planned," stated Jack Knowlton, Operating Manager of Sackatoga Stable. "He has provided the 35 owners a unique opportunity to compete and succeed...

Confirming a report from Bill Finley in the Nov. 11 edition of the TDN, Sackatoga Stable's Tiz the Law (Constitution) will train on in 2021 as a 4-year-old, with the $3-million GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational at Gulfstream Park Jan. 23 as his target. In a release pushed across its social media channels Thursday afternoon, Sackatoga announced that Manny Franco, who had ridden Tiz the Law to victories in the GI Curlin Florida Derby, GI Belmont S. and GI Runhappy Travers S. and to a runner-up effort to Authentic (Into...