Funny Cide always has been different. That’s not about to change.

Born on the Saratoga Springs farm of Joe and Anne McMahon, Funny Cide became the first New York-bred horse to win the Kentucky Derby — and the first gelding since Clyde Van Dusen in 1929 — when he beat favored Empire Maker in 2003 in an upset at Churchill Downs and nearly went on to capture the elusive Triple Crown.

Four years later, the chestnut son of Distorted Humor and Belle’s Good Cide, who was neutered because he was born with an undescended testicle that made him uncomfortable when he ran, has lost a stride or two from his heyday. But he’s still racing at age 7, something only two other Derby winners — Assault (1946) and Tomy Lee (1959) — have done in the past six decades.

“It is unusual,” said Elliott Walden, vice president of WinStar Farm in Versailles, Ky., where Funny Cide was bred. (Funny Cide is considered New York bred because a thoroughbred’s state affiliation is determined by where the foal is dropped, not conceived).

“The nice thing about that ownership group is they’re having fun racing,” Walden said. “He’s a gelding, and in this day and age, with horses being whisked off to stud, it’s nice.”

Funny Cide’s next race is on the Fourth of July, and it will be something completely different for a Derby winner — he’s entered in the 32nd running of the Wadsworth Memorial Handicap at Finger Lakes Gaming and Racetrack.

When Funny Cide won the Derby, the Churchill Downs crowd was 148,530. Finger Lakes, located just southeast of Rochester, can accommodate 2,000 patrons in the clubhouse and another 4,000 in the grandstand, and president Chris Riegle readily acknowledges the facility’s main claim to fame until now was dubious at best.

Finger Lakes once was home to Zippy Chippy, a gelding who was acquired by his owner for a used van and appeared in People Magazine but never in a winner’s circle in 100 starts. Zippy Chippy, who even lost a 40-yard dash to a minor league baseball player, finally was banned from racing at Finger Lakes in 1998 after losing by 37 lengths.

Funny Cide, who won the 129th Derby, captured the Preakness by nearly 10 lengths and finished third in the Belmont Stakes, is poised to become the first winner of a Triple Crown race to compete here since the track opened in 1962.

“I see nothing wrong, in fact, quite the contrary, from Funny Cide’s adventures in the bullrings,” said William Nack, who won seven Eclipse Awards for his coverage of thoroughbred racing. “It’s a homecoming bonus for the owners, who are from upstate New York. I wish more Derby winners would visit the county fair tracks around the country. Some of the greatest horses in American history have been known for their adventures at different racetracks around the country. There’s nothing wrong with taking the best in horse racing to the most out-of-the-way venues.”

Jack Knowlton, managing partner for Sackatoga Stable, which owns Funny Cide, bristles at those who think the day will be carnival like and that Finger Lakes is no place for a Derby winner.

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“I don’t know who in the world would dare think that,” said Knowlton, one of six working-class former high school buddies from Sackets Harbor, N.Y., who purchased Funny Cide for $75,000 five years ago. “I don’t understand the carnival atmosphere notion. Because there might be 10,000 to 12,000 people who show up to see him, is that a carnival atmosphere? I think they’d much rather see him out there running than have a farewell tour after he’s done running.

“People don’t get a chance to see a Kentucky Derby winner,” Knowlton said. “The sport needs more of that. How many years has it been since you’ve seen a horse like Funny Cide even raced the next year?”

Because of their breeding value, Derby winners rarely run past the age of 4 anymore. Since 1980, 10 Derby winners haven’t raced past the age of 3 and only Gato Del Sol, the 1982 Derby winner, raced at age 6.

Funny Cide has won 10 of 37 starts and banked more than $3.4 million. But his last Grade 1 victory was in the Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park in October 2004 and he has not won since taking the Grade 3 Dominion Day Handicap at Woodbine a year ago, a span of six starts.

Funny Cide won’t challenge the longevity of some of the great geldings of the past — John Henry had 39 wins in 83 starts before retiring in 1984, Kelso raced 63 times all over the place from 1959-66 and Forego ran 57 times from 1973-78 — but as long as he’s fit he’s going to keep running.

“He’s given us no indication he wants to retire,” said Knowlton, who is mulling the thought of trying Funny Cide on the turf this summer at Saratoga Race Course. “(Trainer) Barclay (Tagg) tells me he’s healthier and sounder than he’s ever been. I’m waiting for him to show me he’s faster than ever.”

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