Many breweries follow the classic path of an entrepreneur turning a passionate hobby (home brewing) into a business.  Most of the best brewers in the world started this way and we love drinking their beer.  Trackside Brewing’s story is different.  We were inspired by a horse named Funny Cide.

 

Horse racing fans know the story of Funny Cide, the first New York-bred horse to win the Kentucky Derby in 2003.  Funny Cide went on to win the Preakness Stakes and finished third in the Belmont Stakes, missing out on a Triple Crown.  Funny Cide was an unlikely champion, having been purchased as a 1-year old for $22,000 and trained by a lesser known (at the time) trainer.  Funny Cide was the 2003 Eclipse Award winner for 3-year olds and went on to win several more races before retiring in 2007.  Most horses of Funny Cide’s caliber would have been retired to the breeding shed and lived a cushy life as a stud, siring the next generation of champions.  But Funny Cide was a gelding and unable to breed.

 

Like many horse racing fans, we had given little thought to what happens to horses after they stop racing.  As a champion horse, Funny Cide was provided for and retired to the Kentucky Horse Park.  But not all horses are champions or go on to have successful breeding careers.  So we asked ourselves, what happens to those horses?

 

This question led us to organizations such as the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation, Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance, and Old Friends Farm that provide care and resources for retired racehorses.  We made personal donations and even sponsored a horse, Son of the Sun, but felt that we could be doing more.  Thus, Trackside Brewing, a philanthropically minded brewery, was born.