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Title details for Funny Cide by Sally Jenkins - Available

Funny Cide

by Sally Jenkins
Funny Cide Ventures, LLC
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
Borrow Listen to a sample Listen to a sample
1 of 1 copy available
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.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    April 26, 2004

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781429589420
      • File size: 160420 KB
      • Duration: 05:34:12

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Even casual horse-racing fans know that Funny Cide's bid for the Triple Crown was overshadowed by Smarty Jones, who now claims the title of "the people's horse." Funny Cide is no longer unique, but his story is still interesting. Dan Cashman lets listeners share the excitement of the horse's owners as they witnessed Funny Cide's unexpected Kentucky Derby victory. He's especially touching with the emotional story of jockey Jose Santos, who returned to the spotlight after a rocky career, and his young son. FUNNY CIDE gives horse-racing fans a fascinating look at the track and the passions shared by owners, trainers, and jockeys. J.A.S. (c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      March 22, 2004
      In May 2003, a relatively unknown racehorse named Funny Cide won the Kentucky Derby, then two weeks later won the Preakness, the first two events in horse racing's legendary Triple Crown. Jenkins, a skilled sportswriter and author of two books with cyclist Lance Armstrong (It's Not About the Bike
      ; Every Second Counts
      ) delivers a first-rate account of the improbable Funny Cide story, aided by her access to its main players, including the horse's owners, a group of longtime buddies from the small town of Sackets Harbor, N.Y. The book is at its liveliest showing them in action, especially when their unpretentious excitement subverts the wealthy elegance of the Kentucky Derby. But Jenkins does her book a disservice by trying to present the Funny Cide story as metaphoric as that told in Laura Hillenbrand's instant classic, Seabiscuit
      . Despite Jenkins's best efforts to show otherwise, 2003 is not 1938, the Iraq War isn't the Depression and Funny Cide's breeders, owners and trainers are from "the vast middle class in horse racing," making them closer to "Sheiks and Bluebloods" than to the working class. Still, Jenkins never lets her broad cultural swipes get in the way of delivering a sprightly and entertaining tale of a lovable winner from nowhere. Agent, Esther Newberg. (May)

      Forecast:
      With the ongoing popularity of
      Seabiscuit, in both book and film, and with a 250,000 first printing and publicity tied to this year's Kentucky Derby,
      Funny Cide is poised to tap into the
      Seabiscuit readership even if it might not reach
      Seabiscuit sales.

    • Library Journal

      February 15, 2004
      The making of a surprise equine winner.

      Copyright 2004 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

    • Publisher's Weekly

      June 7, 2004
      Although the story of Funny Cide's against-the-odds gallop into first place in the Kentucky Derby and then again in the Triple Crown's second leg is familiar to most people, this audiobook provides an inside look at an endeavor that started out as merely "kicks for hicks." The hicks in this case—a group of middle-aged, high school cronies—were tired of being "habitually careful," so they took a chance on a horse with an undistinguished pedigree. With the help of a down-on-his-luck trainer and a jockey who'd seen better days, Funny Cide left all the predictable favorites in the dust. This is a grand story full of endearing, oddball characters. Reader Sheridan, who's best known for his performance on Law and Order: Criminal Intent
      , sounds more like the Marlboro Man than a police captain here. His voice is gruff, almost bashful, as he emphasizes not only the workaday victory of the story, but the emotion that lies close to the surface. Although Sheridan has a tough time taking on some of the team members' accents, this doesn't detract much from the overall quality of the production. Simultaneous release with the Putnam hardcover (Forecasts, Mar. 22)
      .

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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