Funny Cide, Sarava Work Toward Saratoga Breeders' Cup

Edited from NYRA reports
Funny Cide put in his final workout Wednesday morning over the Saratoga main track by going five furlongs in :59 1/5 with jockey Edgar Prado aboard. The 4-year-old, New York-bred gelding, owned by Sackatoga Stable, is expected to highlight the grade II, $300,000 Saratoga Breeders' Cup Handicap for older handicap horses running at 1 ¼ miles on Sunday.

"I got him in 1:00 2/5," trainer Barclay Tagg said of the 2003 Kentucky Derby (gr. I) and Preakness Stakes (gr. I). "But he did what he needed to do. I'm very pleased."

Funny Cide, highweighted at 118 pounds for Sunday's race, will likely be challenged by Alumni Hall (115), Evening Attire (115), Sarava (115) and Colita (112). Questionable for the race are Bowman's Band (116), Presidentialaffair (115), and Country Be Gold (113).

Funny Cide comes off a head defeat to Offlee Wild in the Massachusetts Handicap (gr. II) at Suffolk Downs and a neck defeat to Peace Rules and Sunfoundland in the grade 1 Suburban Handicap at Belmont Park

Sarava also made his final workout Wednesday by breezing four furlongs over the Oklahoma training track in :51 1/5 for Tonya Terranova, who will saddle the horse for trainer Bob Baffert.

"It was just a maintenance half-mile work to get some air into him," Terranova said. "Everything went smooth and he should be ready for Sunday's race."

"We got him shortly after Kentucky Derby weekend and he had some major feet issues," Terranova said. "We have spent a lot of time and work on his feet and getting them back into shape. Now that he doesn't have any pain and his quarter cracks are grown out, he's feeling much better. He's now more confident in himself."