In Memoriam: 2003 Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Funny Cide
Funny Cide, winner of the Kentucky Derby and Preakness in 2023, has died
Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Funny Cide, winner of the Kentucky Derby and Preakness in 2023, has died
Jokic already has more than half a dozen horses.
No matter whether or not the Nuggets win the NBA championship, Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic has interesting plans for the offseason.
During a recent interview with ESPN reporter Malika Andrews, Jokic was asked if he planned to celebrate winning the NBA Finals by buying another horse.
Jokic briefly quit basketball when he was “12 or 14” years old so that he could pursue horse racing. He told SLAM he once finished fourth place in a race.
While he did not continue with horse racing and he obviously did continue with basketball, the big man now owns a racehorse named Dream Catcher. In his locker, Jokic proudly displays the ribbon his horse received for winning a race.
"If you win, are you going to get another horse?"
Nikola Jokic: "Probably, even if I lose." đpic.twitter.com/eyj1qcbI20
— Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) June 12, 2023
According to The Athletic, the superstar owns “more than half a dozen” horses. Jokic says that he will “probably” add another horse to his stable regardless of the outcome of the NBA Finals.
Jokic was given his second NBA MVP trophy while at his horse stable in Serbia, and if he keeps adding more horses, the stable will become more and more full.
Paolo asks Jokic about his love for horses đ
Game 4: Tomorrow, 8:30pm/et on ABC
More of Paolo Banchero at the Finals: https://t.co/PaOLr4qGzs pic.twitter.com/ECKN4ndpEQ
— NBA (@NBA) June 8, 2023
The big man recently explained his love of horses to 2022-23 NBA Rookie of the Year winner Paolo Banchero, which was a fascinating conversation.
Jokic’s teammate, Aaron Gordon, recently said that he has rarely seen the big man as happy as when he showed off his riding helmets.
Jokic, meanwhile, maintains a close relationship with Hall of Fame horse racer Tim Tetrick. He often adjusts his travel plans so that he can catch a race.
[lawrence-related id=1041536,2073263]
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The great Fusaichi Pegasus has died at the age of 26
The hats will be out at Pimlico as they have been through Preakness history
Here are the odds as we get closer to the 2023 Kentucky Derby.
The clock is ticking down toward the 2023 Kentucky Derby.
As of publishing this, itâs the afternoon, hours before the race is ready to begin.
The weather, which showed possible rain for Saturday earlier in the week, now looks clearer.
So itâs a good time to update the odds that were set on Monday after the post position draw. These will continue to change right up until the moments before the horses and jockeys line up in the starting gates, so this is more of a snapshot of how things are changing.
Donât forget to check out our ranking of the best names, along with the silk colors the jockeys will wear.
There were hats galore at Churchill Downs for the Kentucky Derby
Here’s who will be calling the race on Saturday.
It’s time for the annual Run for the Roses.
The 2023 Kentucky Derby is here, with a bunch of thoroughbreds running for a chance at glory (and a chance at a Triple Crown). Whether you’re betting on the race or just watching for fun (and, say, rooting for the horse with the best name), it’s always a spectacle from Churchill Downs in Louisville.
If you’re watching the events on NBC or Peacock on Saturday, you may be wondering: Who are the announcers, analysts and more?
We’ve got an answer for you!
Host: Mike Tirico
Race Announcer: Larry Collmus
Analysts: Jerry Bailey, Randy Moss
There you have it!
A different kind of horse tale.
Grab a mint julep, itâs time for the 2023 Kentucky Derby. This annual event brings the world together for âthe most exciting two minutes in sportsâ at Churchill Downs’ dirt track in Louisville.
Itâs been more than 140 years since the inaugural race â Saturday’s race will be the 149th running â and youâd think reporters would have covered every angle of the event, from the horses’ names and odds to jockeys and trainers to Triple Crown winners.
But thereâs one community whose perspective on the Kentucky Derby has gone largely unexplored. That community is horse girls.
MORE Kentucky Derby: Q&A: FanDuel TV’s Christina Blacker on what bettors should expect at the 2023 Kentucky Derby
No, these arenât half-girl, half-horse hybrids. Humanity hasnât created centaurs… yet. Instead, horse girls are simply girls who love horses.
People outside of equestrian circles may not realize how developed horse girl subculture is. There are horse girl movies, books, clothes, websites and so much more. In the small Georgia town I grew up in, horse girls qualified as their own clique in school. Similar to University of Georgia fans wearing team jerseys to bond with other fans, horse girls identified each other through horse-themed clothes and flocked to each other in the cafeteria.
The phenomenon is so well established that BuzzFeed was able to compile a post full of horse girl memes. Urban Dictionary also has several definitions for âhorse girl.â Many girls (and women) just adore horses. And like anything people love, from sports to bands, there is merch, media and more catered to it.
Also, horse figurines. Lots of horse figurines.
For self-described horse girls like Reddit user iDieFirst, riding horses and watching the Derby are family traditions. For others, the Derby is more of a casual event.
âI think itâs a really cool thing to watch, whether you know anything about horses or not,â said Lauren Davoodi, a rider at ISE Equine Endeavors in Parker, Texas. âThereâs also a lot of amazing history behind the Derby and the Triple Crown, and you can learn a lot just by reading about the races or seeing posts online. Itâs really amazing to see how much love and effort the riders and trainers involved put into their horses.â
In contrast, some horse fans, like childhood horse girl and current art educator Anna Moon, have never even watched the Derby. Similarly, Savannah Kawahata, veterinary medicine student at UC Davis and âlapsed horse girl,â has also never tuned in to the race.
âI’ve never had the attention span for watching professional sports,â Kawahata said.
Many outlets, including For The Win, have covered animal welfare concerns at the Kentucky Derby. Itâs an important issue, especially when horsesâ lives are on the line. In response to worries over animal health, the newly established Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority is working to ensure racehorsesâ health and well-being.
âI don’t think horse racing, at least in the U.S., is done in a particularly healthy or sustainable way with concern for the animal’s well-being, so I don’t love it as a whole,” Kawahata adds. “That being said, I’m sure this level of racing is leaps and bounds improved over the tracks I’ve seen.â
While opinions on the Derby vary, there are some key sentiments that horse enthusiasts want people to know. When it comes to animal health, Moon wants Derby watchers to understand how the sport impacts horses.
âI think attendees should know itâs a dangerous sport, thatâs about entertaining humans and not a love for the creatures,â Moon said. âI was pretty scarred as a child to learn just how dangerous racing was for the horses, how itâs nearly impossible to rehabilitate horses from injuries or doping abuse.â
Like dogs bred for specific qualities, horses bred for racing display strong talents in some areas and major drawbacks in others.
As a 2020 episode of the Scientific American podcast Science, Quickly explains, âBreeding pairs are chosen for their athletic prowess and competitive behavior.â This system can and has resulted in âsignificant inbreedingâ and related health issues.
While this raises concerns about the ethics of horse racing, it also pushes back against claims that horses are forced to race.
âA common argument I hear against the Derby and racing in general is that the horses are forced to run,â Davoodi said, âand that couldnât be farther from the truth. Race horses, especially the ones that are good enough to make it to the Derby, love their jobs.
“Theyâre like bird hunting dogs â theyâre bred to do one thing, and thatâs all they want to do. If a horse doesnât want to run, it wonât run, and thereâs nothing you can do to make it.â