"Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in."

It's a memorable line, uttered by Michael Corleone in the movie Godfather III. And one that seems to describe the predicament horse racing is in following its latest piece of bad news.

I originally sat down to write a column about how Funny Cide might be the next bright star for racing because this Kentucky Derby winner is a gelding. And because he didn't have the option of going to the breeding shed, Funny Cide would have to stay on the track to earn his money.

Adding to his appeal was the fact that the Derby winner is a New York bred (not very fashionable in the world of thoroughred racing, where Kentucky is king), owned by a bunch of old school buddies from, of all places, Sacketts Harbor, N.Y.

Funny Cide was, and would continue to be, the kind of ham-on-rye-with-a-beer horse the general public rarely sees in the blue-blooded "Sport of Kings." The kind of horse who could get attention for a few years to come.

I was also going to note the lack of staying power of recent Derby champs. 1997 Derby winner Silver Charm was certainly a marquee attraction as both a three and four-year-old, and even recorded a win at five. And 1998 champ Real Quiet came back the next year to win the Hollywood Gold Cup and Pimlico Special.But since then, only one Derby winner has even raced as a 4-year-old -- Monarchos, who took the roses in 2001, ran third in an allowance/optional claimer.

Going back a bit, I found that Strike The Gold, the '91 Derby winner, won the Pimlico Special at four, and Winning Colors (1988), Sunday Silence (1989), Unbridled (1990), and Lil E. Tee (1992) all had a single stakes victory as four-year-olds. But for sheer endurance there are only Kentucky Derby champions who have won the Breeders' Cup Classic as four-year olds: '86 and '87 Derby winners Ferdinand and Alysheba. (Unbridled also won the Classic, but did it while he was still a sophomore.)

Could Funny Cide be the kind of horse still running in the Breeders' Cup in 2004 or 2005, where he might meet up with another Derby winner? Wouldn't that be great for the sport?

Funny how all my thoughts have changed since I received a call from a friend on Saturday morning telling me to get online and check out a picture in the Miami Herald.

Funny how some have called or e-mailed to offer their opinion on the guilt or innocence of jockey Jose Santos. They seem perplexed that I have none to offer in return.

Funny how a few days ago, the stat on nearly everyone's lips was that Funny Cide was the first gelding to wear the roses in 74 years. But fast-forward a week, and the date du jour associated with horse racing wasn't 1929, but 1968 -- the year Dancer's Image was disqualified as the Derby winner because of the illegal medication in his system.

But there is nothing funny about allegations and steward reviews and denials concerning the most famous race in the world. Damage has been done regardless of the outcome. A one-step-forward-two-back move that the sport can't afford, especially after the Breeders' Cup Pick 6 scandal that rocked racing late last year.

Funny that every time racing seems to get a break, it really doesn't.