Funny Cide Fades Again

If Funny Cide’s connections were hoping a switch to jockey Jerry Bailey would prove magical for the 2003 Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner, they were mistaken.

Reinforcing the argument that the problem is with the 5-year-old gelding and not with his former longtime rider Jose Santos, Funny Cide was dull again Saturday. The New York-bred son of Distorted Humor finished sixth as the 5-2 second choice in the $500,000 Suburban Handicap at Belmont Park.

“He felt perfectly fine warming up, but I never had any horse once the gate opened,” said Bailey, offering more than trainer Barclay Tagg did. All Tagg said was, “I don’t know anything.”

It was the 12th loss in 15 starts for Funny Cide since his victory in the Preakness.

He has been beaten by a combined 51 1/2 lengths in four races since his victory in the Jockey Club Gold Cup on Oct. 2 at Belmont.

Offlee Wild, the 7-2 third choice, prevailed in the Suburban, beating 25-1 longshot Tap Day by 1 1/4 lengths in 2:00.50 for the 1 1/4 miles. Edgar Prado rode the winner for owner Lansdon Robbins’ AZ Azalea Stables and trainer Juan Rodriguez, who is pinch-hitting while regular trainer Rick Dutrow Jr. serves a 60-day suspension.

Pollard’s Vision, the 5-2 favorite in the Grade I, finished third, a neck behind Tap Day.

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Two races before the Suburban, Bailey rode Wend to her fifth win in as many starts on turf as the 4-year-old Pulpit filly overcame a slow start to take the $250,000 New York Handicap.

The 9-5 second choice in the Grade II, Wend, who is owned by breeder Claiborne Farm, won by a neck over 7-5 favorite Wonder Again. The final time for the 1 1/4 miles was 2:02.23.

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Indian Breeze, a 7-1 longshot, ran by 3-5 favorite River’s Prayer in the final sixteenth of a mile to win the $104,800 Landaluce by three-quarters of a length at Hollywood Park.

A 2-year-old daughter of Indian Charlie owned by Bill Peeples and trained by Adam Kitchingman, Indian Breeze won for the second time in two starts and handed River’s Prayer her first loss in three races.

Tyler Baze was aboard the winner, who was purchased for $130,000 at Keeneland last September, and she ran the six furlongs in 1:10.91.

Mystery Girl, a maiden, finished third, and My Lucky Free, a recent private purchase by Louisville basketball Coach Rick Pitino, was fourth.

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Elsewhere, Better Talk Now, the upset winner of the Breeders’ Cup Turf Oct. 30 at Lone Star Park in Texas, won the $750,000 United Nations Stakes at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J.; Purim remained unbeaten with an impressive victory in the $150,000 Arlington Classic at Arlington Park; 8-1 longshot Palladio beat favored Magna Graduate and six others in the $350,000 Ohio Derby at Thistledown in East Randall and 6-5 favorite Delta Princess won the $150,000 Locust Grove Handicap at Churchill Downs.