Fan-favorite racehorse and Kentucky Derby winner Funny Cide has died from complications from colic.
Funny Cide’s death was confirmed on social media Sunday by Sackatoga Stable, the group that owned the horse, and the Kentucky Horse Park, where the horse resided.
The 23-year-old thoroughbred won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness in 2003 and was nicknamed the “Gutsy Gelding” by fans. The Kentucky Derby victory was a 13-1 upset, beating the betting favorite Empire Maker.
He came in third in the Belmont Stakes the same year, following just short of the Triple Crown.
Funny Cide won 11 of his 38 lifetime starts and earned three-and-a-half million dollars in total career earnings. That includes a three-win streak as a two-year-old.
