Funny Cide: How a Horse, a Trainer, a Jockey, and a Bunch of High School Buddies Took on the Shieks and Bluebloods...and Won
Written by Sally Jenkins and Funny Cide Ventures, LLC
Narrated by Jamey Sheridan
3.5/5
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Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this audiobook
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, New York, 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.
Sally Jenkins
Sally Jenkins has been a columnist and feature writer for The Washington Post for more than twenty years. She was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 2020 and in 2021 was named the winner of the Associated Press Red Smith Award for Outstanding Contributions to Sports Journalism. She is the author of twelve books of nonfiction including The Real All Americans, the story of the Carlisle Indian School and its use of football as a form of resistance following the close of the Indian Wars. Her work for The Washington Post has included coverage of ten Olympic Games. In 2005, she was the first woman to be inducted into the National Sportswriters and Sportscasters Hall of Fame. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Stanford University in 1982 and resides in New York.
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The Right Call: What Sports Teach Us About Leadership, Excellence, and Decision-Making Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5No Finish Line: My Life As I See It Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
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Reviews for Funny Cide
20 ratings1 review
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Book on CD read by Dan Cashman 3.5*** In 2003 an unlikely horse, from an unlikely stable owned by a group of high-school buddies won the Kentucky Derby and captured the hearts of America. This is his story.I like horse racing, though I admit that I watch few races other than the Triple Crown ones. I’ve read more than a few biographies of jockeys and of famous horses. I was as caught up as anyone in Funny Cide’s Triple Crown saga, and as broken hearted when he was beat during that final leg at the Belmont. Jenkins does a good job of weaving together the various stories behind the horse: the original breeder, the owners who carefully and gently broke him to saddle, the trainer who recognized his potential, the group of high-school friends who wanted a fun way to still be a “team” despite their varied family and work responsibilities, and the jockey who immediately felt the potential in this unlikely mount. I particularly liked the way she wrote the build-up to the Derby and Funny Cide’s amazing win there. I felt the excitement all over again. The only thing missing was a mint julep.Dan Cashman does a fine job narrating the audio. He sets a good pace and his narration of the race scenes was top notch.