Funny Cide, the 2003 Kentucky Derby and Preakness champion who captured the nation's imagination with his whimsical band of middle-class owners from Sackets Harbor, will retire Friday and move to the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington.

Since Funny Cide's retirement from racing last year, trainer Barclay Tagg had continued to use the horse as a stable pony, which involves a fair amount of rigorous exercise.

"He'd reached a point in his second career when the wear and tear of being a racehorse had us concerned that it was a little too much for him," principal owner Jackson W. Knowlton said. "So now it's time to really retire. He's going to turn 9 in January, so we felt he earned a true retirement."

Mr. Knowlton said the village of Sackets Harbor has no facility adequate for a retirement home for a horse of Funny Cide's celebrity, unlike the Kentucky Horse Park.

"This is the premier place to retire a racehorse in the country," Mr. Knowlton said. "They have just a tremendous facility. It's a fabulous place."

Funny Cide will join 1987 Derby champion Alysheba, who arrived at the Horse Park in October from Saudi Arabia.

Funny Cide catapulted to stardom with his unlikely victory in the Kentucky Derby, which drew nationwide attention to his 10 middle-class owners. Six of the owners are high school buddies from Sackets Harbor who had ponied up money for a share of ownership. After Funny Cide ran away with the Preakness by almost 10 lengths, the talk of his being the first Triple Crown winner in 25 years swept the nation.

The "Sackets Six," as they became known, became media darlings, with appearances in Sports Illustrated and on network newscasts and the "Today" show.

In addition to Mr. Knowlton, the other owners are former Sackets Harbor Mayor Jon P. Constance, Harold R. Cring, brothers Mark J. and Peter J. Phillips, and Larry L. Reinhardt. The remaining four owners included Dave Mahan, Watertown, Conn.; Eric Dattner, Little Neck; Lew Titterton, Saratoga Springs; and Augustine "Gus" Williams, a Watertown native, who died April 12, 2007, at age 81.

In a June 2003 New York Times article headlined "'Hicks From Sticks' Now Racing's Elite," Mark Phillips, a retired math teacher, said, "You got some guys who know absolutely nothing about horses; I'm just learning how to bet. And here we go and win the Derby and the Preakness and have a chance to bring home some history. This has been the ride of our lives."

Funny Cide's bid for history fell short in the Belmont Stakes when Derby favorite Empire Maker passed him as they straightened for home. With no kick left on the muddy track, he faded to third behind Ten Most Wanted.

The fans among the second-largest crowd in Belmont Stakes history nevertheless remained loyal to their New York-bred gelding.

"The cheering never stopped for Funny Cide, the unlikely champion who proved as popular in defeat in the Belmont Stakes as he did winning the Kentucky Derby and Preakness," read the lead paragraph in an Associated Press article on the race.

Mr. Knowlton said, "The Kentucky Horse Park will let his legion of fans have an opportunity to have access to him. He'll get the greatest care and treatment there."