Horse named for Noah Syndergaard wins Funny Cide Stakes

NEW YORK -- Turns out, Syndergaard is awfully fast on the track, too.

A horse named after hard-throwing New York Mets pitcher Noah Syndergaard won the $200,000 Funny Cide Stakes at Saratoga on Friday, blowing away the competition by eight lengths.

The team made mention of Syndergaard's racing success upstate in its game notes Friday and said the 2-year-old colt is an early favorite for next year's Kentucky Derby.

In a release provided by the New York Racing Association, winning trainer Todd Pletcher said: "Yeah, he came with the heater today."

The Mets said track announcer Larry Collmus exclaimed that Syndergaard "was throwing the hammer down."

Syndergaard the horse is owned by Eric Fein, a Mets fan from nearby Long Island, according to NYRA.

Syndergaard the pitcher -- nicknamed Thor -- has quickly blossomed into a horse on the mound for the defending NL champions. The 6-foot-6, 242-pound right-hander would like to meet his namesake, Mets spokesman Jay Horwitz said.

Officials are trying to set up a meeting sometime soon, after the horse returns to Belmont Park, which is only a 12-mile drive from Citi Field.