Synopses & Reviews
They had no business being there. They were up against million-dollar horses owned by patricians, oilmen, Arab sheiks, and Hollywood producers. They were ten regular guys, and all they wanted was to win a race. Instead, they won the hearts of America.
In 2003, a three-year-old with the unlikely name of Funny Cide became "the people's horse," the unheralded New York-bred gelding who-in a time of war and economic jitters-inspired a nation by knocking off the champions and their millionaire owners and sweeping to the brink of the Triple Crown.
Trained by a journeyman who'd spent over 30 years looking for "the one," ridden by a jockey fighting to come back after years of injuries and hard knocks, and owned by a band of high school buddies from Sackets Harbor, N.Y., Funny Cide became a hero and media sensation.
Now, Sally Jenkins, award-winning co-author of Lance Armstrong's #1 bestseller It's Not About the Bike, tells the inside story of the Funny Cide team's ups and downs against overwhelming odds, illness, and even scandal, to capture the imagination of millions. It's a new American classic for the underdog in all of us.
Synopsis
In 2003, he became "the people's horse," the unheralded New York- bred gelding who-in a time of war and economic jitters-inspired a nation by knocking off the champions and their multimillionaire owners and sweeping to the brink of the Triple Crown. Trained by a journeyman who had been knocking around racing for more than thirty years, ridden by a hard-luck jockey, and owned by a tiny stable founded by a band of high school buddies from Sackets Harbor, NY (pop: 1,386), who tossed in a few thousand dollars each and decided to follow their dream, Funny Cide became a blue-collar hero with a bit, his story crammed with colorful characters-only one of which happened to be a horse.
Written with Sally Jenkins, coauthor of Lance Armstrong's number-one bestseller It's Not About the Bike, Funny Cide tells the whole story-the parts we know and the parts we never suspected-as it follows the group's emotional ups and downs against overwhelming odds, illness, and even scandal, to capture the imagination of millions. It is a book for the underdog in all of us- a new American classic.
Synopsis
He became "the people's horse," the unheralded New York-bred gelding who inspired a nation by knocking off the champions and sweeping to the brink of the Triple Crown. His story is for the underdog in everyone.
About the Author
Sackatoga Stable is owned by ten people, led by managing partner Jackson Knowlton, whose jobs range from catering to construction to health care. Unlike with Funny Cide's million-dollar brethren, who make a quick killing and then get retired to stud, they plan to race their horse for all his fans to see as long as he is healthy and happy-conceivably for years to come.
Sally Jenkins is an award-winning journalist for The Washington Post, and is the coauthor of the bestselling It's Not About the Bike and Every Second Counts, written with Lance Armstrong.