When the 129th renewal took place at Churchill Downs, Louisville, Kentucky, last weekend little fancied Funny Cide (Distorted Humor—Belle’s Good Cide, by Slewacide) took the winning purse at generous odds from the favourite Empire Maker and his stablemate fourth fancy Peace Ruler.

Favourites have a shocking record and since 1979 only one public fancy Fusaichi Pegasus has won the 10f (2000m) three-year-old classic.

The most compelling explanation for the form lapse has come from the dosage authority Dr Steven Roman in his just released book “Dosage: Pedigree And Performance.”

A Texan with a doctorate in organic chemistry, Dr Roman claims the 10f Derby distance presents a formidable challenge to the competitiors. In most instances they have never previously competed beyond 8 1/8 furlongs.

North American punters (or handicappers as they are known) must be brave souls wagering under these circumstances.

Dr Roman remind us that the super stars converge on Churchill Downs from throughout the country. This wide form array doesn’t ease the punters’ lot.

The pace is pressure packed and stressful for most young gallopers in the field.

“It is reasonable that contenders with an edge in class as well as an edge in emotional and physical maturity should have an advantage.“

The recent Dr Roman book is his first major work after dealing with dosage development for over 20 years.

He focuses on key names with a flair to influence ongoing performance in the breed. He has 199 “chefs de race”, who have the inherit ability to transmit certain aptitudes.

These categories are brilliance (allied with speed); an intermediate bracket allied with 1400m; classic horses, who transmit “class”; the “stout” chefs, who cope with middle distances and the professionals, who transmit endurance.

When these presences are collated through a Dr Roman formula, a horse in question can be appraised for aptitude.

Kentucky Derby winner Funny Cide is the first New York runner ever to score in the Kentucky Derby and is the first gelding to annex the classic since 1929.

He is beautifully linebred to Hail To Reason, Nasrullah and his half sister Sun Princess, Native Dancer, the half brothers Nearco and Niccolo Dell’Arca, Polynesian and Turn-to.

He is linebred to Beau Pere, who stood at Wanganui before his export to Australia and the USA, the Mr Prospector forebears Myrtlewood and Myrtle Charm and has 17 Plucky Liege strains.

He has a single duplication up front through sons only and that is Ribot, who is completely and utterly overwhelmed by the other desirably sex balanced duplications.

The Derby winner Funny Cide represents the first crop from his sire Lexington based Distorted Humor (Forty Niner-Danzig’s Beauty, by Danzig).