Santos recalls Funny Cide's failed Triple

NEW YORK -- Jose Santos knows the pressure jockey Stewart Elliott is facing heading into the Belmont Stakes.

Santos rode Funny Cide, last year's Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner who came up short in the Belmont in his Triple Crown try. The popular New York-bred gelding finished third as the even-money favorite.

"We were so close and yet so far at the same time," Santos said Friday. "Too bad we couldn't do it."

Elliott will be aboard Derby and Preakness winner Smarty Jones, the 2-5 favorite trying to become the 12th Triple Crown champion.

Santos will have a chance to play spoiler aboard Master David, a 20-1 long shot trained by Bobby Frankel, the Hall of Famer who won last year's Belmont with Empire Maker.

"I've been in the situation and I know what he's going through," Santos said. "I can give him no advice because I'm going to try to beat him. The only thing I can tell him is 'Good Luck.'"

Santos said he had a great time during his Triple Crown run.

"It was very exciting," Santos said. "Me and my family had a great time. We made a lot of good friends through the Triple Crown."

Funny Cide was unable to handle the wet track at Belmont.

"A lot of things went wrong with the weather and the race not setting up the way we wanted," Santos said. "I hope I can be in the position one more time because there is nothing more exciting."

Or exhausting. The three-week period between the Preakness to the Belmont was a nonstop whirl of appearances and interviews.

"There were so many things to do," he said. "There was the press and the constant trips in and out of New York City. We went so many places as guests. It opened so many doors."

This time, Santos will try to close the door on Smarty Jones.

"The Belmont Stakes is a very difficult race," said Santos, who won it aboard Lemon Drop Kid in 1999. "You see horses on paper who look like a cinch and it's a completely different scenario when the race is run."