[6] Funny Cide was consigned to the August 2001 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga-preferred yearling auction, where he was inspected by Tony Everard, a "pinhooker" looking for young, undeveloped horses to train and resell in a few months at a profit.

"[9] Sackatoga Stable was formed by ten friends from Sacket's Harbor, a small town in upstate New York, who purchased their first horse by contributing $5,000 each.

"[10] The chestnut gelding, ridden by jockey José A. Santos, made his two-year-old racing debut at Belmont Park on September 8, 2002.

Breaking from post position 13, he hit the gate and raced wide for the entire trip, eventually finishing fifth behind Offlee Wild.

Empire Maker, conditioned by Hall of Fame trainer Bobby Frankel and ridden by Jerry Bailey, was the odds-on favorite after an impressive win in the Florida Derby.

Empire Maker was the favorite for the Derby despite suffering a bruised right front hoof that caused him to miss a few days of training: his odds did drift up though from 6–5 on the morning-line to a more lukewarm 5–2.

Bumped again at the start, Funny Cide tracked the early pace set by Peace Rules, and moved to the lead heading into the stretch.

Then all hell broke loose when the Miami Herald's bogus story and photo of Santos cheating in the Derby appeared.

With a Triple Crown on the line, Funny Cide and his connections were the center of attention in the weeks leading up to the 2003 Belmont Stakes.

Then it rained all day before the Belmont Stakes, the most grueling of the three Triple Crown races and a quarter mile longer than the Kentucky Derby.

Funny Cide broke well and rushed to the early lead, but wasted energy struggling against Santos's efforts to set a sensible pace down the backstretch.

Robin Smullen, Tagg's assistant and companion, had predicted that win, lose or draw, Funny Cide would remain everyone's favorite horse.

"[22] Funny Cide was given a two-month break, then returned on August 3 in the Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park where he finished third to Peace Rules.

[1] His next target was supposed to be the Travers Stakes at Saratoga in a face-off against Empire Maker, but both horses became ill and missed the race.

Funny Cide may have been suffering from the same ailment when he finished third in the Haskell: he showed mucus after that race, as well as an elevated temperature.

[23] Funny Cide missed most of the fall racing season but recovered in time to enter the Breeders' Cup Classic, held that year at Santa Anita Park on October 25.

As Andrew Beyer put it: "[Funny Cide] performed honorably throughout the series, while stimulating widespread public interest in the sport.

[1] In June 2004, the New York Turf Writer's Association honoured Funny Cide with its Presidents' Award as the first New York-bred to win the Kentucky Derby and for how his Triple Crown bid captivated the nation.

Jose Santos received the Red Smith "Good Guy" Award for his "grace under pressure" when dealing with a false accusation concerning his ride in the Kentucky Derby.

Coming into the Jockey Club Gold Cup, Funny Cide had only two wins in eight starts for the year, but was still co-favorite at 3–1 with Love of Money.

Funny Cide appeared to be struggling, but fought back and began to gradually wear down Newfoundland, finally winning by three-quarters of a length.

[1] Since the middle of his three-year-old campaign, Funny Cide was beset with respiratory problems, perhaps aggravated by racing in the heat at the 2003 Breeders' Cup Classic at Santa Anita when a major forest fire raged nearby.

[32] Funny Cide returned to the track on January 7, 2006, in the six-furlong Gulfstream Park Handicap, finishing a disappointing seventh.

[1] On July 1, Funny Cide led all the way to win the Grade III $200,800, 1+1⁄4-mile Dominion Day Stakes at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Canada.

The race attracted many who had come just to see Funny Cide; they crowded the walking ring when he entered the paddock and gave him an ovation during the post parade.

The field contained Sun King, the favorite after finishing second in the Whitney, the 2005 Travers winner Flower Alley, and Suave, who won the 2005 Saratoga Breeders' Cup Handicap.

On July 4, 2007, lured to Finger Lakes Race Track by an extra $50,000 added to the purse, Funny Cide took the $100,000 Wadsworth Memorial Handicap by three lengths under Alan Garcia, breaking his six-race winless streak.

"We decided that after the great fun and excitement of watching Funny Cide win the Wadsworth Memorial at Finger Lakes at the age of 7, it would be a good note on which to retire the horse," Tagg said.

Jack Knowlton, managing partner for Sackatoga Stable, agreed that Funny Cide's future career would be at the track with Tagg.

[45] Funny Cide made several other racetrack appearances during retirement, most notably in August 2015 when he was shipped to Saratoga with American Pharoah.