Sackatoga Stable's 2003 Kentucky Derby (gr. I) and Preakness Stakes (gr. I) hero Funny Cide makes his debut as a 6-year-old in the $100,000 Mr. Prospector Handicap (gr. III) at Gulfstream Park Saturday.Funny Cide drew the rail and will be ridden by Edgar Prado in a field of eight older horses entered in the six-furlong Mr. Prospector, which will share the spotlight on the 10-race card with renewals of the $125,000 Aventura Stakes for 3-year-olds at a mile and the $100,000 Hal's Hope Handicap (gr. III) for 3-year-olds and up at 1 1/8 miles.
Trained by Barclay Tagg, Funny Cide won Belmont Park's $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup (gr. I) as a 4-year-old of 2004. The gelded son of Distorted Humor did not do so well last season, when he failed to finish in the money in a limited campaign of three starts, cut short by a nagging back injury. Tagg is optimistic that the New York-bred is back on his game, although he would prefer that Saturday's race were run at seven furlongs rather than six as he works toward his principal winter target, the Donn Handicap (gr. I) here on Feb. 4.
Funny Cide faces several accomplished sprint rivals, led by Timber Bay Farm and Mrs. Thomas J. Walsh's Sir Greeley, Javier Castellano; Anstu Stable's Friendly Island, John Velazquez; and Timber Side Stable's Nightmare Affair, Rafael Bejarano.
Sir Greeley is a 4-year-old Mr. Greeley gelding who won the Fly So Free Stakes at Aqueduct last out on Dec. 7. Friendly Island finished a respectable fourth in the De Francis Memorial (gr. I) at Laurel Park on Nov. 19 in only his second start in a year for trainer Todd Pletcher.
1--Funny Cide, 115, Edgar S. Prado
2--Sir Greeley, 114, Javier Castellano
3--War Front, 113, Jose A. Santos
4--Friendly Island, 116, John R. Velazquez
5--Gaff, 113, Shaun Bridgmohan
6--Storm Surge, 113, Jerry D. Bailey
7--Nightmare Affair, 116, Rafael Bejarano
8--Pisgah, 113, Roberto Alvarado, Jr.